A New begining in a Time Forgoten
by cosmicUranus
Summary: They had nothing left, so they went to Japan. When they arrived in the past they feel a new beginning is finally happening... Can this be the life that they wanted, or will it prove to be harder then it looked. Please no flames! RR Please! This is Sess/OC
1. Chapter 1

_Inuyasha couples-_

_Verie (Kagome's cousin OC)-Minh (a Wolf demon OC)_

_Laruda (OC)-Kouga_

_Soree (OC) - Jon (OC Fox demon)_

_Kagome- Inuyasha_

_Sango – Miroku_

_Alex (neko/unknown demon OC) – Sesshomaru_

_Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha, but I do own the other characters._

**A New Beginning in A time Forgotten**

Two girls stood at the gates of a public race track in Tokyo Japan; watching as a group of about five cars zoomed by the metallic entrance. One of the two girls watched the racers drive in mild amusement and fascination while the other wore a look of pure happiness at some inner thought.

The first of the girls was wearing a pair of long black pants that hung low on her hips and fell loosely around her legs covering the tops her black and red combat boots and a tight red mid drift tank-top showing a curved Chinese dragon tattoo painted in red and black curling up the lower left side of her hip. Her curled black hair was pulled into a low, painful-looking, ponytail falling to the middle of her back and wrapped tightly in a silver scarf; only showing the black of her tips. Her face was slightly tanned and framed by long crimson bangs that seemed to frame her face delicately and managed to effectively hide her ears. The deep, seemingly endless, black color of her eyes hidden behind dark sunglass as a sardonic smirk formed on her small pale pink lips and her black eyebrows dipped beneath the black glass; a bandana situated over her tanned forehead only reveling only a small black vertical line stopping just between her eyes. Strangely enough a long, thick, fuzzy silver streaked black belt-looking object was wrapped tightly around her waist on her pants the tip hung loosely to her ankles

The second girl looked much more innocent and kinder then her dark companion, the evidence of this danced in her pale sea green, slanted eyes. Her hair, though still black, looked considerably paler then her companions and was left flowing down to her mid-back in layers. She wore a pair of light blue jeans that hugged her hips and thighs then belled at the bottom only just skimming the tops her white and blue tennis-shoes. Her tight white top went over the top of her pants and a blue over-shirt was worn over the tight shirt. Her yellowish-tan skin was only a little lighter then her friends, making her Asian heritage more apparent, and she wore a small innocent smile on her dark pink lips as she watched the other racer. Both were equal in size at 5'5" making their major differences in appearances seem more immanent then one would usually think.

The darker girl tilted her head towards another group of men that stood off to the side by their cars talking and laughing at something one had said. The Asian next to her merely gave a smile and nod as both began to walk towards the group. One of the men looked up form the discussion he was having and noticed the two beauties behind his little group.

"Well, well what do we have here?" His statement caught the other men's attention and they each looked at the girls standing behind them. "Come to get a lesion in riding hard ladies?" The perverse comment slid over the Asian's head, but the dark eyed girl caught its duel uses immediately.

"I'll be happy to teach you baby!" One of the men said as he walked up to the Asian girl and pulled her closer to him by her shoulder. The said girl flinched and tried to pull away almost immediately afterwards.

As soon as his arm was around the innocent girl's shoulders; the darker one reacted and had his arm twisted painfully behind his back forcing him to the ground. The other men blinked in surprise at the speed the girl displayed, but got over it a minute later at their friends pained cry and began to rush at the one in black. She effortlessly kick the first one in the gut while still holding the first man; the kick had forced her to tighten her hold on the man twisting his arm even further making him scream out even louder in pain.

Two more girls walked in at the moment that the men charged the dark one and ran to her aid. The first one to get there had deep brown skin and wore loose fitting black "boy-shorts" and a red shirt with the words "My face is up here" and an arrow pointing up in big bold black letters that stretched tightly over her large chest. A red hat put on backwards over her short dark brown hair with green goggles signed by Scott McNeal on her head.

The second of the two was obviously young with long orange-red hair the fell in loose curls to her lower back. She wore a pair of loose blue jeans that fell over brown leather sandals and a pale blue shirt with the words art club written in fancy calligraphy and a panda holding a paintbrush. Her pale pinkish-white skin shone in the sun light almost blindingly and her deep blue eyes flashed with anger.

The chocolate skinned girl used a high jump kick and caught one of the attacking men in the face bringing him down while the younger one delivered a low punch to another. This and the fact that the one in dark clothing had taken another two out with a swift punch and a harsh kick abruptly brought all of the fighting to an end. The two other fighting girls gave out an angry sigh as they regarded each man, standing or not; then the one in black turned to the one who's arm was still in her iron grip.

"You ever touch her again" She grabbed his hair forcing him to look at the Asian, "and I'll kill you." Her voice dripped with venom as she let each word drip dangerously from her lips, each syllable said with slow and meaningful breaths.

"Alex. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it." The dark haired one turned to the one that spoke to see that it was her Asian companion trying to save face. She had a small smile on her innocent face as she said this.

Alex merely gave a small, soft smile to the girl as she through the man to the ground. "I should care if he meant something by it, Verie?" Her voice was thick with sarcasm as she asked her seemingly innocent question as a dark smirk found its way across her pink lips.

The two new companions laughed at this and Alex turned to her other two friends. The darker skinned one was more then a head and shoulders taller then the rest of her companions and her brown eyes were now laughing merely with a mixture of cynical realism and joy dancing in them. The other was far shorter and younger then her three 19 year old companions, being younger by four years one would think it would be harder for her to keep up but that was not the case, as she laughed with her taller friend she was a good head shorter then Alex and Verie.

"Well now," Alex smiled at the two late arrivals, "glad you two found time to make it, Soree, Laruda." Alex addresses her tall and young companion respectively.

Soree grinned mischievously as she patted Alex on the head and looked down at her. "Well sorry we wanted the little kitty-cat to have some fun before we showed up." She gave a wink to the irritated girl below her hand.

"Don't call me that!" She growled out in annoyance as she brushed the hand away from her head, revealing her sharp-looking, claw-like nails that seemed to reflect off the skin of the darker girl. She turned to face the younger girl, Laruda. "So you ready to see me race, Chibi-chan." The growl in her voice was replaced with affection for the younger girl.

Laruda gave a large happy smile as her face lit up. "Am I ever!" She nearly shouted out while she jumped up and down.

The guys, whom had been all but forgotten chose this moment to open their big mouths, "You? Race? Ha! That should be a sight, girl!"

Each of the four girls turned to glare at the men; the two darkest glares coming from Alex and Soree. "I doubt now would be the best time for you boys to be noticed, don't cha think?" Soree spat out as she watched them squirm under the glares.

The men gulped and backed off. "I'll be right back with my car." Alex's voice had become dark and foreboding as she gave one last glare to the men and left the gate.

Not to long after a black corvette drove up to the group and the men stared in awe. Then went quickly to the own cars, expecting to beat the girl down and gain their pride back after that humiliating fight.

The race went faster then any of the men could follow for as soon as Verie shouted go they were left in the dust. Never being one to lead someone on Alex took of as fast as she could and made it across the finish line with at least a lap between her and the closest other racer. Getting out of her car she was quickly surrounded by her three friends as they each congratulated her.

Verie looked down at her watch to see that it was almost five and they had yet to go and visit her cousin, whom was the whole reason they had come to Japan in the first place. "Guys we promised my cousin that we'd be at her place an hour ago! She's probably worried by now!" Verie exclamation threw each of the other three into gear as they each looked at either their watch or cell phones to see the time.

Turning to Laruda and Soree, Alex asked how they had gotten to the track when Laruda answered the train, Alex quickly ushered the two into the back seats as she and Verie took the drivers and passenger's seat in the front. Verie gave quick direction to her cousin's place as Alex sped down the streets weaving through traffic expertly. They soon arrived at their destination and Alex looked at the place in astonishment.

"Verie, you never told me that your cousin lived in um… shrine before." Her voice trailed at the end very unhappy with this realization.

"I hadn't really thought about it, but why does that matter?" Verie questioned as she stepped out of the passengers seat letting Soree out of her side while Alex did the same for Laruda on her side. Alex shook her head sadly.

"Well I certainly hope that the wards on the entrance aren't very strong then Ver-chan or I'll have to wait out-" She cut herself off as she noticed the form of man taking off with a girl on his back, a girl that look an awful lot like her best friend. "Hey isn't that your cousin Ver?" Alex asked as she watched the man pause in his retreat and look their way.

"Verie?" The black haired girl called out before the man-boy scuffed and started off again. "Hey!" The girl yelled at him

"Kagome!" Verie shouted in a panic. "Alex hurry! Do something, please!" The Asian girls please did not go unheard as Alex took off after the boy with fast graceful leaps, making it seem like the dark girl was flying.

With one last hard leap she jumped onto the boy's head knocking him down while at the same time she grabbed Kagome from his back and held her waist in her arms to keep her from falling. After she was sure the boy was down Alex tossed the shock girl over her shoulder gently and raced back to her group of friends. Placing the freighted teen next to her cousin Alex turned her nose the other direction, away form the girl.

Getting over her fright at the other girls strength and speed, Kagome turned to her older cousin giving her a big hug, which was eagerly returned. "I thought you weren't going to show!" She exclaimed happily releasing the older girl.

"Of course I was going to show! We just got, um, delayed." Verie said giving a side ways glance to a smirking Alex.

"So these are the famous friends I've been hearing about, ne? Let me guess the one who ahem rescued me must be… Alex?" Alex gave a curt nod in agreement stepping closer to Verie as discretely as possible. "Alright then you must be Soree- the weird one." Soree smiled and gave two thumbs up about to comment when the Laruda put a hand over her mouth. "And that leaves you to be Laruda." The younger girl gave a friendly smile removing her hand from Soree's mouth; that was a mistake.

"So the guy Al here tackled had to be you boy friend right?" She gave the younger girl a wink and broad smile. "I mean he _was_ carrying you and you didn't seem to mind at all." The said girl blushed as the attention was diverted from her to the boy on the ground.

"Um, that's Inuyasha. He's my… friend." Each one of the girls noticed Kagome's hesitation to say friends and some smirked, namely Soree and Laruda, Verie just smiled and Alex looked indifferent as she studied the approaching boy.

"He's a hanyou." She stated absently not taking her gaze from him as she removed her black shades.

Inuyasha stopped momentarily in his strides over to the group in surprise at her statement. Then looked over the girl that had so boldly stated his ethnicity: long black hair wrapped in a silver scarf-thing, ears hidden behind thick strands of curled red hair; a long, thick, silver/black fuzzy tail-like object protruding from her lower waist and deep black eyes that not even the sun's light could ever hope to penetrate. Then and only then did he manage to get a whiff of the air around her; because of all the humans around her, he had missed it before, but not now that he was closer it stuck out like a sore thumb, the smell of wild followers, fire and cat. (wild flower and fire from her other half).

His golden eyes widen and he took a step back. "You're a yokai!" His exclamation brought the attention of the entire house hold and they ran from the temple to where the group had gathered.

Looking from the new comers to Inuyasha then back, they realized that he was talking to and looking at the girl in all black.

Alex smirked at the young hanyou. "Great deduction dog-boy, what ever made you think that?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm and the group of girls laughed at him. "Maybe it was the tail, or claws, or the fangs, or possibly it was the pointed ears and smell…" She pulled back the long bangs from her ears as further proof. The look on the others face's made her smirk in triumph as she let her red bangs fall back over her pointed ears.

Sota looked at the group of girls closely and noticed the Asian in the group. "Verie!" His shout seemed to bring the attention from the yokai and hanyou. The boy ran and hugged his elder cousin around the waist as she laughed merely and hugged the boy back.

"Sota, how have you been? Sorry it's been so long." Verie said smiling brightly at the boy around her waist. "But you should know I'm here to see Kagome."

Sota pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's not fair she's about to..." he was cut off by a sharp jab from his elder sister, who shook her head negatively; "go on a …trip?" His small voice squeaked a little.

Alex scuffed at hearing this blunt lie, unconsciously moving closer to her best friend as the rest of the family came closer. "So we'll go _with _you." Her stress on the word _with_ left little room for debate; of course that meant that the white haired hanyou would try.

"What the hell makes you think I would let you go demon-girl?" He spat out at Alex.

"Oh?" Alex gave a dark smirk and was in the half-demon's face before he knew what was happening. "Whose going to stop me? You, _half_-ling?" Inuyasha nearly fell back from surprise, but Alex caught his shirt before he could fall.

"Feh! Fine do what ever you want!" He said crossing his arms over his chest mumbling, but Alex heard the words clearly still holding his shirt. "Won't be able to get through anyway." He mumbled pushing her hand away from him.

_We'll see about that. _She thought calmly. "I plan to." She turned to Kagome. "Let us get our bags and then you can lead the way to our destination. Sound like a plan to you guys."

Verie gave a huge smile. "Of course!"

Soree grinned at her friend "I'm always game for getting into troubled." Her eyes twinkled with a sardonic light.

Laruda started to hop from one foot to another excitedly. "Ooh Yea let's go! Let's go!" she exclaimed thrusting her hand in the air far more excited then she really should have been.

At her reaction most everyone sweat dropped, while Soree merely grinned and joined the younger girl; thrusting her own arm into the air as well. "Alright… I suppose if you can come… why not?" Kagome said a bit strangely, watching the other two girls. "Well let's go." She walked up to Inuyasha and dragged him along with her; the two leading the way to the small, old shed that hid the bone eaters well.

The group of girls watched as the two jumped through a small well together and disappear inside it. Giving a shrug Alex urged Verie, Laruda, and Soree forward telling them to go after she went to see if it was safe for them. Not wanting to argue with the stronger yokai the other three nodded and watched as their eldest friend jumped into the well.

Alex watched as the bottom of the small well came closer and closer until it just disappeared into a purple vortex. Slightly surprised she looked up to find that she could no longer see the faces of her friends staring at her falling form. Finally feeling the ground under her feet; looking up she noticed she was in the well again, but it looked younger then it had when she jumped in and she could see the sky above her instead of darkness of the old shed. Alex stood at the bottom of the well deciding to wait for the other three to arrive.

She didn't have to wait long as Verie's form seemed to just appear from no where; soon followed by Laruda's then Soree's. "I'll help you guys out." Alex said as she began to lift Laruda up by the waist. Laruda grabbed the edge of the well and lifted herself up into the open air. She was soon followed by Soree both girls stared at the forest in front of them. Back in the well Alex and Verie stood for a little while looking at the top of the well.

"I think we're in the past." Alex voice was distant as she stared at exit to the well.

Verie looked at her astonished. "Why do you say that, Alex?" She asked looking at her friend. She couldn't help but noticed the almost nostalgic look in her black eyes. _Oh Alex…_ Her eyes took sadden as she stared at her friend.

"Because the air, it's… clean…" Her harsh voice trailed to a soft whisper; her black eyes going back to their normal harsh hollows. "Come on." Alex gently picked up the smaller girl, holding her firmly as she gracefully jumped from the inside of the well to in front of her other two friends. She glared at the four that stared at her group as she let Verie down gently behind.

"Oh my god it's a yokai!" Sango's shout seemed to echo in the otherwise silence woods. "How did it come through the well?"

"There's no time for explanations!" The monk Miroku said as he brought his staff into a fighting position. "We have to stop it from hurting those other ladies!" Nodding Sango pulled off her weapon as well, aiming it at the demon that stood protectively in front of the group of girls that had just come out of the well; though the two fighters seemed to miss this and the fact that Inuyasha did nothing to fight this other girl.

"No! Wait!" Kagome shout brought the attention of the two that were about to charge. "She's"

"No." Alex cut the younger girl off not taking her black eyes from the monk and demon slayer. "Let them."

"What? But" Kagome was once again cut off by a loud war cry from Sango as she through her giant boomerang like weapon at the yokai.

Soree, Laruda, and Verie all stepped back from their friend as she waited for the projectile to get closer. Dust shot from the ground as the weapon went over it heading towards the seemingly defenseless yokai. When it looked like the boomerang would hit the girl a cloud of dust flew from the ground and made the impact impossible to see. Sango shouted in triumph thinking it was a direct hit. Soree smirked while Laruda and Verie smiled. The dust began to slowly disappear revealing the form of the supposed dead demon holding the boomerang in one hand, the other tucked lazily in the pocket of her black pants.

"How?" Sango's voice echoed what was in all of the Inu-gumi's thoughts. Miroku looked at the shocked Sango and decided that it was now his turn to try and dispose of the threat before them.

Seeing what he was about to do, Verie ran quickly in front of her best friend. "That's enough!" She shouted annoyed. "I'm Kagome's older cousin! Alex may be a demon, but you have no right to attack her like this!" Verie felt something soft encircle her waist; looking down she saw it was her friend's fluffy tail. "Alex?" The said girl gave her a small smile and rewrapped her tail around her own waist.

"She's telling the truth." Kagome said walking from behind the monk and demon hunter. "Alex is a demon, but I don't think she's bad. I mean look at how nice she is to my cousin." Kagome smiled at Alex after she stated this.

"Ok now that that's settled, can we go now?" Inuyasha's voice broke the conversation as he began to walk away; soon followed by Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Kirrara and Shippou. Readjusting their backpacks the other four began to follow as well. Laruda kept looking down at the little fox demon then at Alex then back again wanting nothing more then to run up and hug him to death. Finally giving into the urge she ran to catch up with the six in front of her, Soree following closely, and took the little fox-demon into her hold hugging him fiercely.

"Ooh so cute!" Laruda shouted joyfully holding the fox to her chest. Soree and Kagome's group couldn't help but laugh.

Verie smiled at her cousin and friends; they all seemed to get along. Her smile faded as she looked over at her best friend. Feeling the stare, Alex turned to her black orbs to Verie then looked back ahead of her staring at her chibi Laruda and her mischievous friend Soree.

"Those two could get along with the devil had they ever met him." Alex whispered to her closest friend in amusement.

Verie laughed at the thought, picturing Soree, Laruda and the devil playing hide and seek. "Yea I could most definitely see that." Her giggles subsided as she looked at the beautiful scenery as a small village came into view. "So…This is the past. It's so beautiful."

"And so clean. I never knew that nature could smell so…" Her voice trailed as she inhaled deeply. "…so good." Looking ahead again she smiled. While talking she and Verie had stopped walking and now the rest of their little group were waiting at the entrance to the little village; Laruda and Soree waving vigorously at them to hurry. Alex's smile turned into a mysterious smirk as her arm encircled Verie's waist. "Hold on." The whisper echoed in Verie's head as she and Alex disappeared, only to reappear inside the village and behind her surprised friends.

A shout brought the group from their fun. "Yokai! Hurry and go get Lady Kaede!" Turning around, after releasing Verie, Alex noticed that the village men had formed a semi-circle around her. Her face loosing any sign of emotion almost immediately as she stared at the humans who dared threaten her with… farming tools; ok this was just getting ridiculous.

"Move aside and let me see." An elderly lady came into view, hobbling closer to Alex. The yokai, being much taller then the slumped over women, looked down at her darkly. "Demon, for what purposes have ye come to this village?" The aforementioned girl only raised a black eyebrow at her, not answering her question. After not receiving and answer after a minute had passed, Kaede continued. "If ye won't answer then ye must leave or I will expel"

"Kaede! Wait, she's with us!" Kagome's shout cut off the old women's rant as Kagome ran to the two girls already inside the village. Seeing that it was Kagome the villagers began to back off as life in the village just went back to normal. Kids played in the streets; it was almost like everyone was normal if only a little more cautious of the new comers.

"Kagome, this demon girl be ye friend?" Kaede's voice sounded a bit weary, but at the other girls nod; she gave a small bow of apology to the yokai she had threatened. "Then I must apologize for my rude actions towards ye, lady."

Alex looked down at the older women again. "Not all demons are as kind as I am old women, I would not suggest you use that threat on another demon." Alex's voice was cold, and it frightened Kaede to no end. "If I had wanted I would have already taken your life as well as the lives of those who had threatened me." Alex turned her head to the side not looking at the elderly she was addressing. "Feel glad I am kind, another demon might just take what I had decided not to." Kaede's form was shaking as the beautiful demon-ness walked past her to explore the small village.

"Don't worry. Alex is actually really nice; she just thought that it would be best if she warned you, so that you and your village would be ok in the future." Verie's kind and caring voice penetrated the fear that Alex's cold one had established. "Wow what a cute little town… err is it called a village… Hey Alex?" She ran to catch up with Alex curiosity getting the best of her.

"Hey! I just remembered!" Kagome's shout stopped Soree and Laruda from running to the other two in front of them, "Tonight's the new moon! Inuyasha I think we should stay here for tonight." Inuyasha scuffed out a fine and jumped into a nearby tree. "Great! I can show Verie and the others around!" She said as she, Shippou, Laruda, and Soree ran up to the other to; who had paused to wait for the others.

Sango and Miroku looked at the group of girls for a second then glanced at each other; with a shrug they ran up to the moving group calling for them to wait, Kirrara running beside Sango's leg. Kagome began to show the new members of her group around the village as Sango, Miroku, and Shippou pointed out other things that they each liked from time to time. The tour had only taken an hour, since the village was so small, and it was only just starting to get dark outside so the group split up. Kagome went to talk to Inuyasha at the foot of a hill that overlooked the village; Sango and Miroku talked with Kaede about what supplies the group would need; Laruda, Soree, Shippou and Kirrara played a game of tag, some other children joined in soon after they started; and Alex and Verie went for a walk around the village, just to explore a little.

"It's so peaceful here." Verie's sweat voice broke through the comfortable silence that had consumed the pair.

"Yea… it really is…" _They would have been happy here… _Alex's voice was gentle as she watched a group of kids play. She noticed one of the children fall to the ground and begin to weep. Walking a little faster she swooped down to the little boy who had fallen; the other kids, being scared of the older yokai, backed away slowly as some of the other villagers watched closely to see what she would do to the boy who fell. "It's alright little one, let me help." Her voice was soft and she smiled gently to help ease the child's obvious fright. "Where does it hurt?"

He nodded almost mesmerized by the kind demon that was helping him. "My knee hurts." He managed to sniffle out from between sobs. Alex nodded with a smile taking his small hands away from the injured limb

"Verie you have a first aid kit still?" Alex turned to her friend after smiling at the boy.

"Oh yea hold on." Verie sat by the pair, took off her backpack and began to rummage through it. "Alex is usually injuring her self or others so I keep it close by." She told the confused child with a giggle, causing the boy to giggle as well. By this time many more villagers had gathered watching the three closely; including Kaede, Sango and Miroku. "Here we are!" Verie exclaimed pulling a semi-translucent box from her pack and handing it to Alex.

Opening the box, Alex took out a band-aid, and an alcohol wipe. She ripped open the packet and took out the small wipe, unfolding it. "Now this might sting a little, but it will help keep it clean and disinfected, which is a good thing." She told the sniffling child gently. She ran the wipe over the wound and winced when she heard another whimper from the boy. After thoroughly cleaning the wound Alex brought it closer to her lips and blew gently easing the pain that the boy felt; once she heard him stop whimpering she looked up. "Better?" At his nod she tore open the band-aid and placed it over his knee covering the scrape; she couldn't help but notice just how white his skin looked before she put the band-aid over it. "There you go." She said with a smile as she helped the boy to stand. "Does that feel better?"

The boy's face lit up with a bright smile. "Yea!" He jumped into the now standing demons arms. Sighing at this the small crowned began to disperse. "Thank you so much Miss Yokai!" He looked up at her with bright brown eyes. "My name is Shingo, what's yours Miss Yokai?"

Petting his chocolate colored hair she answered with a small smile. "Alex." She kept looking down at the boy with a sad look in her black eyes. _Jacob…_

The look did not go unnoticed by Verie. "And I'm Verie." She said putting her hand on Alex's shoulder. "Tell me Shingo, where are your parents?" Verie asked looking around for an adult to claim the young child. Shingo looked down with sad eyes.

Another boy walked up to the three with a smug smile on his face. "He don't have parents! He's a hanyou orphan that Lady Kaede found wonderin' the forest a week ago." The boy turned his attention to the other one behind the Yokai's leg. "An' no one here will take 'im either."

Alex and Verie looked down at the boy that was hiding behind Alex's legs; studying him for the first time. He was small, no more then five years of age with long brown, messy hair falling to the bottom of his shoulder blades and framing his face. Large round brown eyes slightly slanted with cat like pupils and the white area had a slight reddish tint. The small black spotted, brown tail that protruded from his lower waist was tucked between his legs in fright. And last but not least two rounded cat-like ears where folded down on top of his head as a sign of submission and sadness.

"How did we miss that?" Verie asked astonished. Shingo, thinking that she meant that he disgusted her, began to slowly back away from the two who had helped him earlier.

Seeing his frightened movements Alex swept down quickly and picked up the small boy, cradling him to her chest. "I could not care if they despise you, we'll take care of you from now on, young one." Alex purred to the child in her arms in order to help soothe his fears of her away; it was what her mother would do when she was his age.

"You mean you don't hate me because I'm only a stupid half demon?" The boy's voice sounded hopeful.

"Of course not! Alex here is Neko yokai, too" Verie coughed slightly after this statement, "how could we ever hate someone as utterly adorable as you." she said petting the boy's head. "Besides you're obviously part of the family now, one big weird family." The tow elder ones laughed at the private joke that she made. Verie turned her gaze from Shingo to Alex. "We should go find the others. If we're going to take him with us we have to tell that Kaede person and the others that we are." The sun was almost completely set and the boy began to change into his human form slowly.

The boy looked up surprised. "You're really going to take me?" His eyes began to shine happily and he hugged on to the demon that carried him when she nodded. "Thank you momma-Alex, Aunt Berie." He whispered as he began to fall asleep in the Yokai's warm grasp; the five year old not quite able to say Verie's name properly yet.

Alex and Verie stopped in their track and looked at the sleeping boy in surprise. Looking back up at each other they mouthed 'momma' and 'aunt' then looking back at the boy they smiled. He wrapped his slowly shrinking tail around Alex's arm and snuggled deeper into her body warmth.

"I suppose it has gotten late huh?" Verie said with a smile as she looked from Shingo to the sky.

"Yea." Alex whispered, fearing she would wake the small child. "It is. Let's go to the old women's place." Verie nodded and they went to the hut in the middle of the village that Kagome had shown them when they first arrived.

Soree and Laruda were waiting 'patiently' outside of the hut that belonged to Kaede when they found their way back; the two already ready for bed in their pajamas and Laruda's hair was already pulled into a long braid. It was already completely dark, and with no moon out there was very little light, meaning that the two of them had gotten lost trying to find the right hut and ended up walking around the village three times before the finally got to the right hut. Soree stood tapping her foot, annoyed; and Laruda was pacing in a slight groove she had cause in worry.

"Where have you been?!" Soree all but shouted, making the bundle in Alex's arms shift slightly; and bring the others in the hut out to stare at the scene that was being made by the four new companions.

Seeing Shingo shift, Verie quickly turned to her friends putting her fore finger to her lips. "Shush! You'll wake him up!" She said pointing to what Alex was carrying.

Laruda had long since stopped her pacing when her two friends had came back to the hut they where supposedly sleeping in. Being the ever curious one, Laruda slowly crept up to Alex to see just 'who' Soree would wake up with her big mouth. Looking in her friends arms she gasped, causing Soree to come over as well. What they saw made their eyes go wide: there in Alex's arms was a small boy with a tail and cat ears that were slowly growing shorter, since he was only a hanyou and it was the new moon. Not being able to contain herself; Laruda scooped the small hanyou into her arms, effectively waking the child up in the process.

Shingo's eyes widened in fright staring at the two new girls who had taken him from his new found momma and aunt. His lower lip began to quiver and tears formed in his big chocolate eyes. "Momma! Momma! Help me, momma!" He began to struggle in the strangers arms.

Laruda looked confused when Alex suddenly took him from her arms and began to purr comforting words to the small boy. "Momma?" She asked looking at the pair.

"Yea, kinda weird but when we said that we would take him with us and take care of him he called Alex momma and I am 'Aunt Berie'." Verie answered with a shrug. "I think it's because Alex is a Neko like him, and he's still so young that it just seemed natural to him to call us that."

After he had settled down some Alex set Shingo down in front of Laruda and Soree; giving him a gentle pat towards the two. "Their friends of mine and Verie's, Shingo."

The boy looked at his adopted mother. "Really?" at her nod he slowly walked up to the two girls, only to notice even more strangers and Lady Kaede behind the two. Stopping abruptly, he turned back to Alex. "Are they momma's friends too?" He asked a little scared, but when Alex once again nodded and Verie smiled he continued to walk slowly towards them, stopping again when he was in front of Laruda and Soree. With a timid smile he introduced himself. "Hi momma's friends, I'm Shingo." After he stated this he ran shyly back behind Alex's long legs.

Laruda giggled as he poked his head from behind Alex's leg; his little ears and tail now completely gone. "Well hey there!" She said as she walked closer and knelt down to meet his large eyes. "I'm Laruda McKinney! But you can call me Aunt Laru, ok?"

"Aunt Laru?" Looking back up, he saw Verie smile and nod. "If Aunt Berie likes it then ok!" Shingo quickly latched onto Laruda. "Hi Aunt Laru!"

Soree also knelt by the two. "And you can call me Uncle Soree!" She said with a large grin, making those adults who didn't know her fall over at the word 'Uncle'.

Shingo tilted his head to the side a little. "But you're a girl, aren't you?" At her enthusiastic nod he turned to Alex, confused. When she shrugged and nodded, saying it was alright, he turned back to Soree. "Alright Uncle 'Ree…" He sounded unsure but at her big smile he unlatched himself from Laruda and hugged Soree. "Now I have a big family!" He said happily a bit giddy from these turn of events.

"Shingo you go with Shippou, the fox boy, and Kirrara, the cat, and go to bed. I need to talk with the other grown ups about a few things." Alex's voice had already taken a motherly tone to it when she addressed the boy; the tone seemed almost practiced, as if she had used it many other times before this.

"Alright momma." He said as he ran up to Alex and hugged her, doing the same for his Aunts and 'Uncle'. "Night, night." He then ran up to the slightly older fox demon and the small cat demon like he was told to. "Hi I'm Shingo! Momma says its bed time, so can you show me where to go?" With a nod the three disappeared into the hut.

"So ye wish to take the young hanyou with ye?" Kaede asked cautiously, still not forgetting the last time the demon-ness had spoken. When Alex and Verie nodded she continued. "I have to agree with this course of action. When I had first brought the child into the village many thought it best that he be killed for he was a hanyou and dangerous. I know that in time they might grow to accept him, but I fear by that time the damage will be done, and irreparable at that."

Nodding at her explanation Alex decided to speak. "I would have taken him rather you agreed to it or not." Her voice was dark once again as she addressed the elderly. "The adults would have eventually accepted him, but the children never would have. They took their parents fear of the boy to heart, and being so young it would have stuck through for their entire life. He needs to be raised with his own kind anyway. As a cat demon, like he is, I will be able to teach him what he will need to know; like what his abilities and his true strength. You humans could not hope to teach him these things nor any of the other things he will need." Her voice had gone softer during her small speech. Her eyes narrowed darkly until just slits remained the white around her black orbs began to bleed red and her voice turned ominous. "I will not allow Shingo to die just because he is different then a human is, never again." At her deadly tone the Inu-gumi and Kaede backed away from her.

Soree, Laruda, and Verie also took on different looks of their own. Verie's eyes began to fill with unshed tears and turned from their green-blue shade to a dark ocean blue color as she looked at Alex. Laruda's face turned from happy to angry in seconds as she closed her tear filled blue eyes tightly, a tear falling down her cheek; her hands forming into tight fists. Soree's normally merry brown eyes turned black and narrowed into dark slits and her teeth clenched tightly together in furry.

Kagome looked from her cousin to her new friends as their features became darker then they had been only moments ago. "What's wrong?" Her voice was soft from fear of angering the already livid girls. As if her voice had broken their thoughts each of the four girls lost their angered/sad looks and replaced them with their normal faces.

"Nothing Kagome-chan." Verie's voice still held a bit of sadness in it still, but it was well covered. "Just some bad memories, that's all, nothing to worry about, really." Slowly her voice became normal again.

"We leave early in the morning, correct?" Alex asked turning her eyes to Kagome, who nodded. "Then let's get some rest come on." With that said the four went to join their smaller companions. Alex and Verie slept on either side of Shingo; Alex wrapping her long tail tightly around his form to keep him warm as he cuddled closer to the older demon. Laruda slept on the other side of Alex with Soree on her other side. After getting comfortable each of the girls fell asleep, until only Alex was left awake listening to the rest of the group talk.

"It had to be something bad if her eyes started to start to bleed red." Sango's voice filtered into Alex's pointed ears. "I've never seen such a dark color of red before either, strange."

"Yea… I've never seen Verie so upset… not since their funeral." Kagome's sad voice came though the air, as she remembered the painful event.

"I wonder what was so sad to make them get so angry." Miroku's statement sent the group into silent thought. "It had to be a tragic event."

"Feh! Who cares I'm tired let's go to sleep." Inuyasha scuffed out breaking the tensed silence. In truth the demon-ness had scared him at that moment, and he wanted to forget it ever happened.

"He's right… ye four have a long journey ahead with yer new companions." Kaede's horse voice came through sensibly. "Ye will need yer rest." Her voice came closer.

Kaede came into the dark hut pushing the two other girls inside. "Ye, monk Miroku, may sleep outside or in that hut across the way, ye as well Inuyasha." She said sternly when the perverted monk tried to enter the hut.

"But I've always slept in here before this, why must I sleep else where now?" he sounded disappointed.

"Because now there are far too many young women in here now and that demon-ness would have yer head should ye grope at her or her friends, I am sure of it." Kaede said sharply as she pushed Miroku out the door. Pouting the monk allowed the old women to push him out. "Now ye go find another place to sleep!"

Soon enough after that everyone was settled into comfortable places as Kagome slept on her older cousin's empty side, Shippou crawling into her arms as silently as the sleepy fox child could, and Sango settled on the other side of Shippou putting her hand jus below Kagome's arms, the small cat demon settling in the small space between Shippou and Sango.

Kaede couldn't help but give a small smile at the picture that was made by the small group of two small boys, a small cat and six girls made. They formed a small semi-circle in the middle of her hut each spread comfortably on the mats that were given to them. Shaking her head the older women went to the back of the hut where she slept and slowly she too fell asleep.

Once she was sure that everyone around her was asleep, Alex glanced around the dark hut then sniffed the air; sure that there was nothing around that could harm anyone she cared for so she slowly aloud her self to fall into a deep and disturbed sleep.

Dream

"_Alex!" A shadow of a little boy about six with a tail and little pointed ears appeared. "Come on big sister! Let's play."_

_Another shadow, about 18 and a girl, appeared with the boy. This one had the same tail and ears, but her hair was longer and gave off a golden glow. "Yea come on little sis." An angelic laugh filled the empty space. "Let's go play."_

Alex smiled at the image of two as they began to play. More shadows began to form.

_A woman stood off to the side, her lushes' tail waving softly in the wind and her short hair giving the same glow as the other girls did. "Alexzandrea why don't you go play too, you're homework can wait for a little while, it's alright." She laughed. "Now don't give me that look… I'm your mother and I said play." She made a motion towards her other two siblings._

_A boy shadow, about 15, appeared and ran to the two that were playing his long tail swaying happily behind him. "Come on Alex!" He shouted happily. "You don't want to make me sad do you, big sis?" His deep laughter echoed through the area as he played with the other tow._

Alex watched the four people playing for a second then laughed and began to walk up to her family, when the images began to fade into another scene.

_The smell of blood filled her hyper-sensitive nose; all around her there was nothing but bloody corpses. In the middle stood the same 15 year old boy holding the six year old boy in his bloody hands trying to protect him from the dark men that stood above them. The two here behind the other two women that looked as if they had died protecting the two younger boys; the younger of the two had a wounded leg making it impossible for escape._

"_Alex! Help us!" The six year old shouted reaching for her, the tears and fright apparent in his small voice. "Please!"_

Alex ran to the two boys as fast as she could, but they never got any closer.

_The men pointed their guns at the two boys and the older one quickly turned his body to protect his younger brother… A shot rang out in the air. "Alex…" The 15 year old fell to the ground, trapping the six year old beneath him on accident. _

Alex tried to run faster, but she still didn't get any closer to the boy.

"_Help m" Another shot cut him off as his dead eyes stared back at Alex as the men laughed in triumph._

End

Alex's eyes shot open. Panting slightly she looked around quietly as she sat up slowly, unraveling her tail from Shingo's small frame. _A dream…_ Looking out the door of the hut they had slept in the night before she noticed the sun was going to rise soon meaning it was only about five am. _No… a nightmare…_ Hearing a small noise Alex turned from the door to the sleeping circle of friends; it was Shingo. She smiled at the boy who was sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes.

"Momma?" He stood and walked up to the older demon. "What's wrong momma?"

"Nothing Shingo." Alex said patting his now black, ear-less head; much to his disappointment. She laughed as Verie slowly began to rise. "Your ears and tail will be back soon. How did you sleep?"

Shingo gave a big happy smile when she said this. "I slept great momma!" His little voice seemed to wake the other occupants of the hut, excluding Kaede. "Momma kept me so warm!" He giggled as the sun touched his small body. Once he was touched by the morning sun his ears and tail popped back into their respective places and his hair turned lighter. "Look my ears and tail! Their back!" He giggled again as he tried to catch his own tail.

Alex smile at the little boy, then turned back to the now awake group. "Kagome, Sango… why don't you two go wake up those sleeping boys. We'll clean up here and gather some supplies." She suggested lightly.

"Yea ok!" Kagome walked tiredly out of the hut followed by the just as sleepy Sango. Not long after the two girls exited the hut and go to the boy's did they hear Kagome's loud shout. "SIT" A loud bang and a sharp slap was heard and the ones who were left in the hut ran to see what had happened.

Outside the strange scene greeted four surprised faces, one girl with a raised eyebrow, and two shacking heads. There was Kagome and Sango looking wide awake and happy while Inuyasha sat in a small whole eating dirt, and Miroku was slumped dizzily against the trunk of the tree a few feet away from the two girls, a large red hand print marring his right cheek.

"Well I feel better now! Don't you Sango-chan?" Kagome asked with a big happy smile on her face. Sango gave a happy nod as well as the two bounced back to the group.

The others sweat dropped. "Well… ok?" Laruda said with a shrug and the girls went back inside.

Alex looked down at the boy she would now be in charge of. He wore tattered, torn and dirty clothes, his brown hair was greasy and full of dirt and tangles, and his skin was covered in caked on dirt and grime. She remembered just how milky white his skin was after she had cleaned the wound with the alcohol wipe. Her eyes narrowed.

"Kagome, Sango… Where is the nearest river or lake?" Her eyes never left the youth she had adopted. The group looked at her confused then looked at the boy; gasping at what they saw, he was filthy.

The boy looked confused at the reaction to his appearance then turned back to his adopted mother. "Why do you need a river momma?" He asked curiously.

The demon-ness smiled gently at the boy. _That's why I hadn't realized he was a hanyou… the filth covers his sent…_"So that I may clean you Shingo."

"I get a bath?" His eyes looked a bit excited. "Alright… but I have no other clothes, what am I gonna wear, momma?"

Alex looked around for a moment. "Hmm…" Alex strolled into the back of the hut to where Kaede was still sleeping. "Old woman." She said softly, nudging Kaede with her foot waking the older women up. "I need a favor." When the woman nodded for her to continue she went on. "Shingo needs some clothing. Get some form your villagers. If they need a reason tell them that it's payment for the way he was treated. Give them the choice of being killed by me or giving the boy clothing. I'm going to take him to bathe in a lake nearby."

"Wait…" Kaede's voice was timid. "Ye would not truly destroy this village for clothes would ye?" She couldn't hide the desperation in her old voice.

"I wouldn't. But why should they know this? I think Shingo has earned his right to those clothes." Alex's voice held very little emotion. "Don't you agree, old woman?" She went back to the main part of the hut; picking Shingo and her backpack up, and following Kagome and Sango out of the hut. After being told that Sango would take the two to the lake in the middle of the forest, because Kagome wanted to help gather some more supplies the three got ready to go to the river, Alex making sure she had her bath accessories and plenty of towels and a swim suite.

Kaede couldn't stop her smile from forming. "I suppose he deserves at least that much form these villagers." She whispered watching the demon-ness, hanyou, and demon slayer get ready. She left to a hut not to far from hers to get a couple of outfits for the young boy.

She returned with two sets of clothes, one pair of black slippers and a long nighty: one a dark brown and black, while the other was a light red and blue, the nighty was white with long sleeves and would cover his small legs. She walked up to the three that were about to set off for the river in Inuyasha's forest. "Here ye go Alex-sama; these should fit the young one." Alex only nodded her thanks and took the bundle from the old women. After the exchange Sango, Alex and Shingo set off for the river.

The three took about twenty minuets to get to the small lake in the middle of the large forest. "Um… Can you find your way back on your own?" Sango asked as she looked at the two she had led to the lake. "I want to go help the others, but if I need to I can"

Alex cut her off. "I know my way back, no need to worry Sango." The yokai gave Sango a kind smile and ushered her back the way they had just come from. "Now go back and tell the others we'll be back soon enough."

Just then Verie, Laruda and Soree broke through the trees panting softly, their bag swung loosely over their shoulder.

Verie spoke first. "Hey we wanted to join you guys… Oh Sango! Kagome said she wanted help picking food for our 'long journey ahead' so I told her I'll go get you." Sango nodded saying ok as she walked back towards the village.

"Hi Aunt Berie! Aunt Laru! Uncle 'Ree" Shingo waved at the new comers happily. "Momma and I are gonna take a bath!" His voice was light and happy as Alex began to strip the stiff clothing off of the boy's body.

"Alright Shingo, I want you to go to Verie and hide you eyes while I change, ok?" Alex told him after she finished stripping his clothes off. The Boy nodded and ran to his adopted aunt hiding his eyes in here night shirt.

Verie blushed and closed her eyes tightly, while the other two went into the forest to change into their suites. Alex grabbed her swim suite from her bag, a black bikini with silver stars set randomly around the top and bottom. She stripped quickly and pulled the suite on. "Alright now its Aunt Verie's turn Shingo, come here." The boy removed his face from his aunt's shirt and stared at his momma.

"Wow…" He looked awed. "Momma looks beautiful!" He smiled after he said this and ran to Alex. She scooped him into her arms and turned to give Verie more privacy.

"Alright! I'm done now." Verie's voice sounded clearly to the two demons. By this time both Laruda and Soree had finished changing as well.

They turned and again the younger boy looked awed. "Aunt Berie looks beautiful too!" Verie laughed. She wore a one piece blue-green suite that looked like it had ocean waves on it. He turned to Soree and Laruda: Soree wore a simple black one piece with a skull over her right breast, and Laruda wore a dark blue short and tank-top like bathing suit with pink and yellow flowers printed on it. "Aunt Laru is pretty too… Uncle 'Ree you pretty like Aunt Laru is!" The toddler giggled and clapped his small hands.

"Thanks Shingo, now lets get you clean, shall we." Shingo nodded enthusiastically and went to jump into the lake. When he was in mid air Alex's tail shot out and wrapped around his waits.

"Now, now Shingo." She brought the boy into her arms and unfurled her tail from his waist. "No need to go jumping into the water. You don't even know how to swim… do you?" She asked as she and Verie walked into the shallow part of the lake with Soree and Laruda; the later two began to play a little off shore from Verie.

"No momma… I don't." Shingo's blush made the girls laugh. Alex nodded and put him down taking his hand and walking over to the shore line where the water was the shallowest.

"Alright then. Now hold still. Verie hand me the shampoo from my bag." Verie rummaged through Alex's bag and pulled out a large black bottle of shampoo with the English words 'TRESemme' in bold white words handing it to Alex. "Ok now hold your breath; I'm going to dunk your head under the water." Shingo nodded and did as he was told. Alex quickly submerged the boys head under the water and pulled his head up just as quickly, the grime already starting to fall out of his hair. After this she began to lather the shampoo onto his scalp.

"Wow that smells good momma." The older demon smiled saying that's why she liked this shampoo.

It took ten minuets and five lather/rinses in order to get all of the dirt, grime and oil from his small head, ears and tail. After finally getting his hair clean she told him to stand up while Verie pulled out a large white bottle with the same logo in black on it. Pouring the conditioner into her hand, Alex gently rubbed it all through out Shingo's lighter brown/blond hair. At first she was a little shocked when his light brown-blond hair was revealed after all the dirt had finally fallen out. After she was sure she had spread the conditioner generously throughout all of his hair and on his ears and then on his tail; she gathered the liquid soap and lufa that Verie had set out for her while she was putting the conditioner in Shingo's hair and fur. Putting a generous amount of soap on the lufa she rubbed it under the water for only a second then began to gently scrub the dirt from the boy's skin. Alex rinsed him off rubbing the conditioner from his now soft hair and fur. Putting more soap onto the lufa and repeated the process five more time, turning the boys once muddy dark skin back into his original milky white skin. Once all of this was done the three went and played in the water with the other two for about twenty more minuets until Alex thought it was a good time to go back to the village.

"Alright we had better get back now, you guys." Alex said looking at the two that were splashing at each other.

"Okay momma!" The boy began to wade his way through the water up to Alex, Verie not far behind him with a smile on her face. Soree pouted about having to leave so soon and Laruda laughed merely at her pout telling her how cute she looked.

Alex took out one of her towels she had brought with her, the fluffiest on she had, using it to dry off Shingo. The other girls grabbed their own towels and began to separate to dry off and change.

When the other girls were out of sight the wind picked up around the two demons; effectively scaring the small toddler. Alex held him tightly to her, keeping the warm towel around his small frame. Her eyes narrowed into to slits and she demanded the creature causing this frightful wind to reveal it's self; what she saw shocked her.

A young ghostly girl appeared from the wind. She had dark grey skin that light could not seem to touch, short spiked hair that covered the left side of her face: the left half was deep pure black, the other half was a light dull grey far lighter then her skin tone. She wore a strange fairy-like pure white outfit, and her legs were none-existing except for the ghostly grey tail that waved beneath her. Her slightly slanted eyes, or at least the one you could see, were a light grey, almost white, with deep black short lashes and eyebrows. Beneath her eye was a strange line that underlined her eye and curved down her cheek to the bottom of her mouth. In the girl's arms was a rabbit that had been sewn back together in many places.

Alex released Shingo and stood up straight. "Why is a deadly hallow spirit here?"

The spirit smirked and pointed to the boy; he gulped and quickly hid behind his mother. Alex looked down at Shingo. "He is not one of us, why do you wish this." The spirit once again pointed to Shingo, and then she trailed her finger slowly up to Alex. "I see." Alex stepped away from her young adopted son and pushed him towards the ghost.

"Momma?" Now Shingo was frightened and confused. _Why is momma handing me over to the scary thing? _

Alex looked down at Shingo sharply while the ghost slowly tilted her head towards him. _Momma is not giving you up little one… _her voice trailed through the wind as she spoke making it sound off every where. By this time the other three girls had managed to come back to the river bank. They each knew what the creature was, for they had seen a similar one around Willie, Alex's eldest little brother, so they knew what the ghost was here for. _You are now my charge… _ she floated closer to the boy, circling him, _It is my job to protect you… and watch over you… as my kind has done for your mother's kind for generations…I am your new guardian… _Her voice was drawl and slow as she spoke explaining why his mother had pushed him forward.

"This ghost is assigned to protect my young, you, Shingo." Alex's voice seemed slightly distant as she spoke about the ghost and her other three friends didn't miss this. "She only wants to get to know you right now." She bent down to Shingo's level and gave him an encouraging smile.

Shingo nodded and moved closer to the spirit. "You're gonna be my new friend?" He seemed shy and uncertain at talking to his supposed protector. She seemed so scary to him; he didn't see how she could be a protector.

The ghastly girl gave a sardonic smile to the mother and child in front of her. _I am quite interesting in looks… but I assure you I only protect and…guide you…_ the child nodded and walked closer to the girl. She gave a smile and then zoomed right into Shingo's body, joining in with him. When she exited his bodyher tail stayed behind, connected to his own spirit, at least until he was old enough and wise enough to take care of him self. _Now I will be with you until I am no longer needed…You know…I was your mother's guardian as well… but she stopped needing me after her thirteenth year…will you be like that too…_

Alex looked away not saying anything. "Hey!" Verie ran up to the ghostly girl. "I knew I recognized you! You were Alex's shadow for the longest time." Verie couldn't help the smile at seeing her friend's old guardian and shadow.

"Hey why don't I recognize her?" Soree's voice sounded a little put off by the fact that she didn't know this ghostly girl. Laruda nodded also wanting to know why this girl was news to her.

Alex never turned her face towards them. "I met you nearing my fourteenth year… she was already gone by the time we met."

_She… and I… we separated on unfriendly terms back then…Isn't that right… Alex…? _Alex huffed and folded her arms over her chest.

"Unfriendly would be a vast understatement. Wouldn't you say so, Bunny-chan?" The ghost only looked down for a second then smile back up at Alex. "Any way make your self a shadow, we need to get back to that village so we can get going." With that said Bunny's form turned black and she seep to the ground.

"Alright…" Laruda was a little confused but she shrugged it off. "Well let's go! Umm…which way, again?"

Alex looked both ways, they had spent over an hour here and she had completely forgotten which way they had come from. She tried to use her advanced senses, but the scent had long since dissipated. She shrugged and pointed in the direction she thought they should go, west; then, after she and Shingo dressed, they headed off in that direction; the opposite direction they actually need to go.

Meanwhile back at Kaede's village Inuyasha and the gang were leaving, heading to the east where Kagome had sensed a couple of jewel shards, having completely forgotten about the other five that were suppose to travel with them.


	2. Chapter 2

I-U 2 Revised

Alex, Verie, Soree, Laruda and Shingo had managed to make it out of the forest by night fall only to realize they had gone the wrong way. Soree looked up at the sliver of moon that was showing and then down at the yawing five year old walking beside the tall yokai.

"Hey Al… I think we should make camp." Soree's statement had all of the friend's attention. "It's getting late, and I think Shingo is tired."

Alex looked down at Shingo; he was yawning and tripping over his own black pants. She nodded in agreement. "Let's move to a more secluded area first." She said as she looked around, "This place is far too open and dangerous."

Laruda thought for a second. "Hey I remember a place just a little back, I think it would work out great!" The others nodded and followed her lead, Alex picking up the young kitten before following her friends.

It took only about ten minutes to get to the area that Laruda had spoke of and as soon as they got there they started to get comfortable. Because they had come to Japan to visit Verie's cousin each of the girls had brought along a small pillow and blanket each, but none of them had expected to sleep on the ground, so they opted to use said blankets to lie on instead, since nights were still warm out. After setting up their small camp site and gathering fire wood and some small rations, thanks to Laruda's knowledge of berries and Alex's innate fishing expertise, they ate and got ready for bed.

Alex wore a pair of dark blue velvet pants and tank-top with stars and moons printed on them; and she still showed off her dragon tattoo because the shirt was a mid-drift. Verie had on a pair of loose fitting silky blue night shorts and a matching tank-top with butterflies all over it; a small sliver of her stomach peeking through the bottom of her shirt. Laruda pulled on a pair of long green velvet pants and a matching short sleeved shirt with small flowers on the shirt; her hair braided down her back. While Soree had on a pair of long purple boxer-like shorts and a long white, short sleeved shirt with the words "**I am** **Death**" printed in purple on the front. Shingo's nighty was far too big for him and swallowed his little arms and trailed to the ground making him have to hold it up with some difficulty; causing a very adorable scene.

Alex let loose a small content sigh as she slowly unbound her long hair letting it flow freely down her back for a little with before also removing the bandanna from her brow. There on her forehead, clear as day, was an almost glowing sliver eight point star on her forehead with a small black crescent resting in the middle of it. Though the others knew about this birth mark, Shingo couldn't help but stare, mesmerized by it. He slowly climbed into his sitting mothers lap and traced the crescent with his small, chubby finger.

Alex laughed and turned him around; she then reached out for her pack and searched around for a brush. When she found her brush she pulled it out and took one of the brown hair bands from the handle, placing it on her wrist, and started to gently comb through Shingo's hair, being sure to avoid his sensitive ears. After she managed to get all of the tangles from his dirty blond hair she slowly braided it. The braid was small and stubby because of his thick hair, but it would hold until morning. After she finished his hair she ushered him over to her pallet for bed.

"Good night, Shingo." Alex gave him a small kiss on his head and a hug, allowing his tail to wrap around her frame for only a little bit before pulling away. "Sweet dreams."

"Night, night momma" He let out a small kitten-like yawn. "I wuv…you." His sentence trailed as he dozed off.

Soree smiled. "Ok that was just too cute." She laughed out quietly.

Shrugging Alex grabbed her brush again and ran it through her hair, mixing the red and black together; showing off her ears and mark more clearly. She suddenly stopped her actions then stiffened and turned to the right. Jumping up her claws extended and teeth bared she got into a fighting stance in front of her friends and son. The other four watched her reaction and moved closer to the boy, just in case.

Alex had gotten a good whiff of blood and it was heading their way, fast. The sent of the blood, she knew, had to be wolf yokai, and there was another one closing in on the wolf, though this one she couldn't place what it was. Alex watched as the wolf-boy made it through the brush and then collapse at her feet; it took all her will power to stop herself from covering her nose.

She heard a gasp and turned to see Verie start to rush over. "Verie no! Stay back!" Alex voice was slightly panicked as she watched Verie move closer. Luckily Soree and Laruda heard her panicked pleas and grabbed a hold of Verie's arms holding the worried girl back.

Alex turned back to the brush, that other demon was getting closer now. She quickly pulled the bloody boy a little further away from the brush and took a stance in front of him, guarding him and her friends waiting for the second demon to appear. She didn't have to wait long.

From out of the same brush that the boy had come from, came a strange looking demon, covered by a baboon pelt. His pelt was soaked in the boy's blood and sweat, and he seemed to be in a hurry to kill the wolf behind her. But the demon stopped his rushed movements when he saw the deadly looking demon-ness in front of his prey.

"Well hello there." His voice was overly sweet as he addressed the female before him. "Who, and what do we have here?" He looked over her shoulder to see not just his prey, but also three other human girls.

Alex immediately stepped in his line of site. "None of your concern; now leave." Her glare darkened when she was him looking towards her friends; the star on her head giving off an eerie light, as the moon turned darker.

The creature smirked under his hood. "Oh I see. Well I think I should introduce my self, if you won't." He walked up closer to the guarded yokai. "I am Naraku, and you, my lovely, stand between me and my prey."

Alex smirked and stared right back at him. "Does it look like I'm moving?" Her voice was sardonic and sadistic as she spoke in amusement, wanting to see what color his blood was.

"Oh well I think that you should, if you and your little friends want to live to see tomorrow." His voice didn't seem to waver at all.

"You don't seem to get it." The amusement from Alex's voice was gone after he threatened her friends. "I'm going to kill you and watch…" her claws extended even more, "as your bold trickled from every crevice of your hideous body." Suddenly she disappeared from sight.

"What the hell" his voice ended in a gargle as he was slashed from behind, falling to the ground. His head slowly turned to see Alex standing over him darkly, and then he died, turning into a wood like puppet.

Alex kicked the thing and it turned to dust. "That was weird." She turned back to the wolf boy. "Verie grab the first aid kit, Laruda go get some water from the spring. Soree we need a comfortably place for him to lie, hurry." Her commands were swift as she gently picked up the man-boy and brought him to where Soree had indicated her pallet.

Alex and Soree began to quickly remove the shredded armor and fur around the boy, leaving his lower covering for now when Laruda and Verie returned with the water and first aid kit. Soree took the water and a towel from her bag and began to clean off the wounds, while Alex took the first aid kit a got out everything she would need: bandages, disinfectant, a needle, thread, a lighter, some tweezers and some medicine to help with pain when he woke up.

Once Soree finished with cleaning his wounds, she and Alex asked that Laruda and Verie not watch, and go over to lie down with Shingo because this next part would be painful to watch. Soree used the tweezers and pulled out the shards of armor imbedded in his skin, while Alex used the lighter to sterilize the needle and then thread it, after that she put the needle and thread, as well as some extra thread, into some disinfectant to soak for a while.

Alex felt his arms, legs, wrist and ankles for breaks while the needle and thread soaked. She found his left wrist broken in three places and his right arm broken at the forearm. His legs had no breaks, but his ankle was swollen and red indicating that is was sprained. After this she went to his chest, there was a long jagged gash from his right collar to his navel that Soree was cleaning out; Alex was sure she'd need to stitch it up. On both his legs and arms there were deep gashes that would need to be stitched up, and a couple of minor scratches and cuts that would need to be bandaged. With any luck he didn't have any internal damage and he would make it through the night.

The two spent the next three hours working on the wolf's injuries and the rest of the night taking shifts on watching over him. By sunrise Verie, Laruda, and Soree were by Alex's side, because Alex had the last shift that night, wanting to know how he was. Suddenly the patient groaned and slowly tried to sit up.

Verie gasped and rushed over to him, gently pushing him back down. "You're hurt, you should stay down."

The boy winced slightly and looked down at his bandaged body. "Who… who helped me?" His voice was low and pain filled.

Verie smiled. "Alex killed that demon and then she and Soree took care of your injuries." She pointed to the two as she said this letting him know who had helped him. Alex gave a curt nod and went to get fresh water while Soree smiled happily at him on her way over to where he sat. "By the way my name is Verie, and the younger girl there is Laruda; and Shingo is that cutie over there asleep." She smiled and let Soree pass her.

"Alright let's check those injuries." She went through and re-wrapped his bandages while checking to see if there was any area infected or needing re-stitched. After confirming that the stitches would hold and changing the wraps, she set to work on checking his broken bones making sure that the splints were still on tight and that the bone was still set right. By the time she finished this Alex returned with a bucket of water.

Setting it down beside the boy she grabbed two pills of the pain medicine and a ladle of water. "Here take this, swallow it whole using the water to help wash it down, got it?" He nodded and did as he was told, choking on the pills at first, but with a harsh pat on the back from Alex he managed to get them down his throat. "Alright now I have a shirt that should fit you," She went through her bag for a second and brought out a loose grey shirt, "Hurry and put it on." Turning to the other girls. "We need to get dressed as well; if that puppet thing was any indication then we're in grave danger sitting around here. And we should wear the 'Asian' outfits we brought." With that she grabbed another bundle from her pack and Shingo's nicer white outfit and went to wake the small cat hanyou.

Each of the girls separated into two groups, Soree and Laruda went behind some trees on the left and changed. Laruda putting on green silk kimono with cherry blossom petals printed all over it and a slit running up her right leg to her knee cherry blossom pink slippers adorning her small feet. Soree put on a Chinese silk black and purple males 'new years' outfit with Chinese characters printed over it a pair of purple slippers placed on her feet.

Alex, Verie and Shingo went into the woods towards the lake to change. Alex wore a red Chinese kimono with a giant yin-yang in the middle with a red-eyed black dragon situated in the yin part and a red-eyed white tiger situated in the yang part, both creatures threaded with silk; a pair of black pats covered her legs while white bands tightened the ends around her ankles and red slippers covered her feet, her tail rounding her waist under the kimono and the end swishing softly just above the ground. Verie dressed in a pure white Japanese kimono with silk threaded deep blood red roses scattered all over the lower part a pair of white slippers coming over her feet. Alex helped Shingo slip into his white and royal blue kimono top and pants; the long sleeves of the top covered his little hands and the pants fell loose to the ankles where blue bands held them comfortably against his small ankles, his pair of black slippers going over his feet last. Alex pulled his dirty blond hair into a high ponytail, two thick strips of hair on either side of his face. She then pulled her hair into her usual style of a low tight ponytail and bangs, but this time she braided her long black hair.

The groups made it back in ten minutes time, Soree and Laruda being first. The wolf looked over each of the girls. "Well don't you guys look like you're wealthy and royal, but I suppose you must be to, willingly, go around in such a strange group." He smiled and slowly stood up. "My name is Minh, and I'm very grateful to you girls for saving my life." He attempted a small bow, only to fall over due to his injuries.

Shaking her head Alex looked over Minh. He had long hair that had fallen out of its small ponytail, the oversized grey t-shirt she had lent him, his furry skirt, legging, shoulder bands and wrist brands were coated in layers of his blood and slightly tattered. Extending the claws on one of her hands she went over the fallen wolf hanyou and grabbed a hold of some of his loose hair. "Hold still." Using her extended claws she swiped it through the hair that she held, cutting it to his lower neck.

Minh ran his hands through his now shortened and un-even hair. "Why did you?"

"I don't know who that guy was, but I don't want a repeat of what happened last night, so we're moving and I don't want us to be recognized." Alex said as she went about clearing out their campsite so it looked like it wasn't there. It didn't take to long before Laruda and Shingo began to help as well. Verie gathered some extra supplies that she managed to find, such as berries and other fruits from the surrounding area.

Soree laughed a little and slapped a hand and the distressed wolf hanyou as he let his claws play through his shortened hair. "Hey don't worry about it. Next town we hit we'll try to find some clothes for ya and until then how about I give some shorts; I highly doubt any of the others have pants that will fit you." Soree helped Minh to stand and brought out a pair of her long, black boy-pants, tossing them to him then proceeded to search for the belt she wore yesterday, just in case the pants were too big like they are on her; she was right.

Minh looked down at himself after he changed; he felt weird in these clothes, but he didn't have much of a choice his old clothing was ruined due to his fight the other day. When he came back Alex nodded towards him then said that it was time they leave.

Though they traveled slower then normal, the group managed to find a fairly large town after only about two days of travel. Their welcome was less warm then they would have hoped for though, what with one yokai, two hanyou and a girl far darker the normal.

Most of the village people were inside their homes, while a few choice men stood out side watching the new comers with un-averted attention, their weapons either held at their sides, though lowered so as to not cause the demons to attack if they weren't going to. Suddenly there was a child's scream and the entire group and villagers still outside looked to where it came from.

"My babe!" The women ran out of her house at the site of her daughter held in the arms of a strange unidentifiable demon.

Verie looked around and spotted a man holding a bow and arrow shakily in his hands. She ran over to him and yanked the bow from his hands, strong the arrow properly aiming and firing; the arrow sliced through the air swiftly and hit the demon right in the middle of its chest. The demon howled in pain, tossing the small child in the air. Taking advantage of this, Alex vanished only to reappeared swiping the girl from the air. At the same time Soree and Laruda grabbed a scythe and sword, respectively, and sliced at the demons head and torso; effectively killing it.

Alex, Soree and Laruda landed gracefully no more then two seconds later. The little girl was clinging to the demon-ness that held her crying when her mother rushed towards them sputtering her thanks as she grabbed her child and kissed her all over.

The men all gathered around the girls sputtering about how they were amazing and so forth. An old man walked up to the girls.

"Thank you for you assistance in the destruction and safe return of one of our young." The man sounded arrogant and nonchalant, as if he thought that their help was not needed. "Now I will have to ask you demons to leave this village. The humans are welcome to stay of course."

Alex growled at the old man. "Let's get something straight, old man." Her claws extended and black poison dripped from the tips mincingly. "We are the ones that saved this child and your pathetic villages, while all you and your villagers stood shaking in your shoes. You have no right to tell us that we're not welcome here."

The little girl's mother set her young daughter and stormed over to the old man being scolded by the demon-ness. Once she reached the man she roughly twisted him to face her, slapping him as hard as she possibly could. The men winced at the sound of the impact. "You stupid old man, who do you think you are?" She thrust her finger to the left, behind the old man. "Leave! Go home!" Her loud voice echoed over the quite village. The man scuffed and turned in the direction the women indicated; after that she turned back to the small group that saved her child.

"I am terribly sorry about his behavior." She offered an apologetic smile to the group. "My husband is the head of our and as a thank you I would like to extend an invitation to resided in our house until your group is well rested and re-stocked on supplies; my husband, I'm sure, will have no problem with this arrangement."

Laruda, being the more diplomat of the party, stepped forward. "Actually one of ours is injured and in need of proper clothing, if that isn't too much to ask for." The women shook her head in a negative fashion saying that it was no problem, and they could stay as long as possible.

With a nod from the demon-ness the group headed off towards the women's house. The little girl running up to Alex and grabbing her clawed hand; hen Shingo saw this he gave a cute little scold/pout and ran from Verie's side, to his adopted mother's side grabbing her free hand. Alex looked down at her son and smirked, he was jealous how cute.

She looked up to see that they were in front of a rather large estate at the back of the large village.

"This is your house?" She turned to see Minh gawking at the estate. She heard Verie giggle and saw her push his jaw up with two of her fingers. Soree and Laruda laughed out at his reaction.

The little girl looked at him in confusion. "Why are you surprised? My papa is head of the village; our family always has been." After she said this she ran up to her mother and began to talk quietly with her about, from what Alex could tell, showing Shingo all her toys. At the elder women's nod she laughed and ran to Shingo grabbing his hand and pulling him to the door. Alex caught Laruda's eye and nodded towards the disappearing children; Laruda nodded in affirmative and followed quickly after the kids.

"Now that the children are occupied how about we get some of your wounds looked at young man." Minh was about to follow when Soree grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"Actually his wounds are already stitched and cleaned; he just needs some rest and possibly new bandages, nothing more." She offered a smile and the women nodded and headed into the house. She turned her head to Minh, a grim look set on her face. "You shouldn't be so quick to follow."

"Not all are trust worthy, which is why I sent Laruda with Shingo." Alex said as she stepped up to them. "Though I doubt the girl will harm him, there might be others in side."

"But you saved her daughter…" Minh's voice trailed as he watched the other two walk into the house.

This time it was Verie that stepped forward. "That doesn't always matter." Her sad eyes were hidden beneath her bangs. "Please just take our advice; this is why we carry around first aid kits and needles, so that outsiders are not needed." Minh noticed a tear slip from beneath her bangs and felt the urge to wipe it away but resisted it. He merely nodded and walked with her inside.

When the last two entered Soree, Alex and a maid of the house awaited them. "This way please, I will show you your rooms." Alex, Verie and Shingo would share one room, while Soree and Laruda took another beside theirs and Minh settled in the room right across from it.

That night the group slept well, for the most part. Through the night Alex and Soree did not sleep at all. Soree had Laruda go and sleep with Verie and Shingo so that the two elder girls could talk.

"I think that we should get weapons, you can't fight for us all the time, Al." Soree's statement struck a cord.

"I agree. I think I saw a black smith not to far down the road. How about we use tomorrow to go to a black smith and tailor; we need some clothes for this period." Soree nodded at Alex's statement.

"Those things will take at least a week to prepare; I think that wolf boy should be healed by then." Soree looked thoughtful for a second. "How would we pay?"

Alex thought about that. "The women offered to repay us; I think we should take her up on the offer."

"Alex?" Soree couldn't help but be a little shocked. "Are you suggesting we use extortion?" She lifted a black brow towards her friend.

"She offered, therefore not extortion." It was a simple statement, yet very effective.

They sat in silence for a while just thinking. Then Soree suggested that they also gather some more medical herbs and slaves as well as more thread. Though that conversation, too, slowly died in to a comfortable silence as the two listened for any ominous foot steps towards their small area of the house. As they sat the two slowly regressed into their own memories; of their worst memory.

"You know…" Soree's voice was low, not going over a quite whisper, she continued a little louder. "It wasn't you're fault… about our families… or yours…" A tear escaped her eye.

"Yes it is, Shini…" Alex's voice was soft and shallow. "I saved their damned lives and they repay it by killing our families." She took a slow calming breath. "And I could do nothing to stop it."

Soree's eyes were down cast. "None of us could…" Her eyes narrowed, turning from dark purple/black to dark gold slits. "Damn them." She closed her eyes, calming down. "It still wasn't your fault."

"Get to bed Soree." Alex never looked up from the floor as she spoke. "We have a long day ahead of us." Soree, reluctantly, did as her eldest friend request; knowing she would not do the same at all that night.

Soree watched as Alex walked to the door, only to pause when her fingers touched the cold meddle of the door handle. "I'm going out." She answered her friend's silent question, not turning to face the taller friend. Soree could only nod and watch her friend leave to room before falling into a dreamless sleep.

Alex walked through the house and gardens that night, looking through each door and room, quietly, to be sure that all were sleeping; though she did not. The falling morning had their small group in the market place, with a maid from the house carrying a purse full of money.

The first place the group of six adults and two children went was the black smith.

"Hey smithy!" Laruda's call caught the attention of both the black smith and the neighboring Shoppe keeps. When the smith approached the group and questioned them she was happy to reply. "We need a pretty big order… Let's see I want some kind of very long and light sword."

Soree stepped up after her statement. "Actually we already have designs for all the weapons we need; here." She handed him the sheet of paper.

On it were six weapons: The first was a long black staff with a silver scythe blade on the end; the design was simple with at thick black spike at the bottom and a purple jewel meeting the blade on the top. The next was a fancy and curved bow, with feathered ends, the string hooked to two small parts of the feathers a little further from the ends then the rest; the arrows thin with sharp mettle tips and feathered ends. Under the scythe was a very long sword thin sword with a long jeweled hilt the handles of the hilt were curved so that they were parted, one part went down while the other went up, and was colored in a deep fire red. Beside that one was another sword, though far shorter then its neighbor, the blade was thick and curved and the hilt was about equal size to the blade. The last row held two very similar swords, though one was obviously made for a small child, due to its dagger-like size. The longer sword held the black smith's attention more then any of the others: the blade was black and crystal-like and the hilt was long and Chinese style with a long red tassel hanging from the end. The smaller sword was much like its companion, but for the blade which was a normal silver color.

The muscled man raised an eyebrow in question. "How am I to make such a blade as illustrated?" He pointed to the blade in question

Alex stepped forward with the answer. "That will be made with my fang, and it will be made in private." Alex thought for a second. "You are capable of make a demon's fang sword, right?"

The black smith scuffed. "I am, but you'll need to help for the first part." She had no problem with that and expected it; the man was only a fourth demon, after all.

"Make the others first." She said with a nod. "Those should take a week with the number of men you have here, correct?" At his nod she turned her back. "Then at the end of the week you and I shall make my weapon." The group walked away, the maid paying the cost the black smith set on their way out.

Next they went to the seamstress for clothes. While there they had their measurements taken and ordered three outfits each, five for Shingo, wanting them ready by the end of the week again. After that they gathered plenty of healing herb, slaves and thread from the local doctor, who also gave the group a large jar of jelly used to keep large gashes disinfected. The maid then insisted that they get Shingo some new toys so he isn't so bored' but at the store both Shingo and Minh went around playing and both had to be dragged out of the store in the end after buying some of toys for the small child to play with.

The rest of the week was spent in peace as Shingo played with their hostess' daughter; Minh rested getting to know most of the girls in the group. Finally the end of the week came and a knock sounded at the door. The same maid answered the door and allowed the seamstress in. She handed the clothes to the members of the group that were present: Alex had gone off to the black smith early that morning and planned to be there the entire day, and well into night working on her sword. The present group then spent the day gathering supplies and trying on their new clothes, and that night they would go to the smiths as well to pick up their weapons.

When the arrived at the black smiths that night Alex stood leaning against the a wall in the back watching as the head smithy put the finishing touches on her sword; upon seeing his mother Shingo ran over and gave her a hug refusing to leave her side. The demon-ness flicked her tongue over the new fang that was slowly growing in place of the one she had given to her weapon. She looked over and smirked at her friends; nodding her head towards a table covered by a slightly stained piece of clothe. Laruda giggled and ran to the covering, pulling it off quickly. There, under the covering, sat five beautiful weapons.

Sitting along the length of the table held a long black scythe; an image of the grim reaper etched in a deep purple, almost matching the black, along the long staff; its bony fingers encircling the glistening light violet jewel. The blade shone out in its silver color, long and deadly sharp, giving it every appeal of being death's scythe. Beside that was a long sword, almost as long as the scythe itself. The hilt was died in a bright red and was much like the picture, but for the golden phoenix that wound around the entirety of the hilt, its talons grasping a deep red ruby that lay at the bottom. Next in the line was a golden Dao sword, a pack of white wolfs dancing across the curved blade. A small Tai chi sword sat beside the Dao sword, sheathed, with a small white tiger carved into the sheath.

Soree was the first to walk to the table and grab the long scythe. She held it for a bit and swung it above her head, testing it. She smirked and with a nod the others grabbed their weapons as well. Laruda held her long sword just above her head and fingered the phoenix on the hilt. Minh gave a large smile as he held his new sword and merely held it. Verie ran her fingers over the bow and the feathers of the arrows before smiling and looking over at Alex.

Her smile faded when she saw the far off look in her best friend's void-like black eyes, and fingering a small white beaded bracelet. Verie shouldered her quiver and bow and went over to her friend. Alex looked over at Verie from the corner of her eye.

"It's almost done now." She nodded to the black smith. "He's just adding the tassel."

"Oh? How does it look?" Neither one looked each other in the eye.

"I think it looks great…"

"The clothes arrived."

"Sigh just ask Verie."

"Is that hers?"

"Yes."

Shingo was now confused. "Mama, who are you talking about?"

Alex looked down at Shingo and smiled. "No worries, baby, how about we get your little sword alright." She grabbed his hand and went to the table to get his sword.

"Wow! Look mama! Look." He grabbed the small sword waving it around while it was still in the sheath.

"Is that really safe?" Laruda was a little worried that such a small child could carry a weapon.

"Its fine, not sharp and I put safety plastic around the edge." Alex reassured her youngest friend. "I had it melted just for him."

The black smith lightly touched Alex's shoulder to get her attention. When she turned around he bowed his head lightly and held the sword out to her. Alex grabbed the long Tai Chi sword. She ran her finger over the sharp blade drawing extremely dark, almost black, blood from it. She nodded to the black smith in approval and sheathed the black bladed sword, but not before Verie noticed a silver dragon curved around the blade.

"Now that we have weapons and wolf boy here is almost completely healed, we leave first thing tomorrow morn." Alex said as she turned to leave with a nod as a farewell to the smithy that worked on her sword; the others following happily behind her with their prospective weapons sheathed and either on their backs, Soree and Laruda, or their waists, Alex, Minh and Shingo. (Verie already put hers on her back.)

That night they spent gathering up all of their supplies and food for their journey that would happen the next day. They went to bed early that next day and got up early that day before anyone else woke in the house. About two days ago the man of the house and the residence, except for the little girl, started acting strangely towards Alex, Minh and Shingo; starring at their tails and his ears when they thought no one was looking. After making one more round about house quietly, Alex picked up the still sleeping Shingo from their bed and was about to walk out when the husband, the old man from the first day, and a few other village men blocking their path.

"I'm sorry but you're not going anywhere." The leader smirked at them, looking all high and mighty. "Well, actually, I have no use for you humans, but the demons will stay."

Alex's calm look quickly vanished as she studied the men before her and her most precious friends. _I knew it…1, 2, 3….about twenty of them…_ The white of her eyes slowly started to bleed red, slow enough so that no one would notice. "So this is what your little women had planned…" She gave a small grunt. "I knew it was something, far to nice." She mumbled more to her self then to those around her.

Carefully she handed Shingo to Minh not taking her eyes from the men in front. Soree stepped forward as well, her eyes having lost their gleam of amusement long ago. "You should leave through the window, and don't look back. We will come for you." Soree's voice held only malice as she spoke. "Leave now!"

Verie and Laruda nodded and started to pull Minh to the window. Laruda roughly swung her sword at the window, breaking it. The three, Minh rather reluctantly, leapt from the shattered window; hearing the men shout for them to stop and come back.

"Don't worry about them!" The village leader shouted at the men who started to go after the retreating people. "The girl is the one we want! Get her!" The men nodded and rushed to attack all at once.

Both girls stood still for a second before Soree smirked darkly. "Shall we, old friend?" Alex nodded and vanished.

"What?" The shout was cut off as Soree and Alex sliced through all of the men quickly, taking only twenty minuets to dissipate the small army before them. When the mayhem ended both girls stood, weapons drawn, and covered in the thick blood of their opponents only the husband left still standing. The two girls walked slowly up to the frozen man letting him see them fully.

There stood two very different girls then the ones that had been guests in his home. Soree's hair had grown out into long spikes of deep violet, her eyes had gone from the brown to dark purple and the white turned a blood red. But her stance was what truly gave it away; she stood as if she were death itself. Next to the girl of death was not the dark demon-ness but a creature of pure chaos. Her black hair and tail now white as fresh snow and waving with a nonexistent wind flowing around her, her once black eye now as red a blood and the white had turned blacker then even that of black whole, across each cheek there were two black marks, one under her eye and the other pointed towards her lips. On her forehead lay a sliver eight point star with a black crescent moon in the very center; directly above the symbol of chaos was a sharp black horn contrasting with her snowy hair.

The two girls stood there holding their bloodied weapons ready for the final attack. "So is this what you wanted to accomplish?" Alex had a sneer on her lips. "To unleash Death and Chaos in one evening… How long has it been since the last time, Shini?" Her deadly eyes never strayed from her pray as she smirked.

Soree smirked. "I do believe three years now, and here I was hoping for more time, to bad." Both of their smirks turned to sneers as they stared at the frightened man. "Was this," She waved a hand over the massacred bodies, "to have your men killed so painfully?"

Alex once again vanished, reappearing with her poisonous claws around the leader's throat, and Soree's smirk returned. "Come now, you really shouldn't piss off a dragon, it's just not smart."

Alex pulled the man closer, causing him to scream. "You threatened the safety of what is mine." She slammed him against the far wall. "You want to know what I did to the last ones who threatened the safety of what is mine."

Soree smirked, fingering one of her sharp long blades of her bangs, leaning on her scythe. "Let's put it this way I had a lot of work that night, and I am Death."

The man gulped and began to scream and struggle, causing one of Alex's claws to break his skin. He began to spasm shortly after that and foam at the mouth. Alex's sneer deepened and she released the disgusting man. Soree walked to the dieing man.

"Ya know… I think he wet him self." She laughed out as she kicked the spamming man.

Alex just looked out the window, both slowly reverting to their normal selves. "I hope the girl isn't the one who finds this mess." When they finally became normal they managed to figure out how long they took.

"Man that took an hour; we better hurry to find the others." Soree said as she led the way to the window. "Unless you want to clean this up?" Alex scuffed and head out the window with Soree.

"Let's just get the others and continue on our way." With that said the two girls rushed towards their friends.

Meanwhile with Kagome and Inuyasha's group...…

Kagome was skipping happily along, thanks to some fast moving on Inuyasha's and Kirrara's parts they managed to get about four months worth of traveling done in less then two and had already found another jewel shard, though the trip exhausted Kirrara. Oh if only Verie could see this. She abruptly halted causing Inuyasha and Shippou to ram into her back sending the two boys to the ground.

"What the hell women! Why the hell did you stop like that?" Inuyasha's shout fell on deaf ears as Kagome stood rooted to her spot.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" Sango's concerned voice broke the trance as she began to cry.

"We forgot my cousin and her friends at Kiedea's village!" Her shout echoed through the woods they were currently standing in. The other members fell over with sweet drops forming, due to their own stupidity and the fact that it took so long for them to even notice. "Oh no!" Her cry sent birds and other wild life scattering to the winds.

**Ok that's chap two, hope you like Jenn. Anyway these aren't the actual weapons, but it's a fair rep until I draw the other ones. Enjoy the story thus far. Who they belong to should be obvious.**


	3. Chapter 3

I-U 3

When Soree and Alex made it back to the rest of their group the dark of the night had started to give way to the day as colors of dawn danced from behind them.

Alex was the first to speak when they got back. "We should keep walking, when that room is discovered the village will try to hunt us down." Soree nodded and the group began moving to the west once again, Alex taking the sleeping five year old into her arms.

They traveled for another two hours before Shingo woke up. He was sad at first but got over the loss of a friend as Laruda handed him his little sword and began to play with him as they moved. Slowly Soree and Alex fell behind the rest of the group to talk; Minh watching them from the corner of his eyes ever since they came back covered in the human's blood.

"We need to get cleaned up." Alex said with a small sneer. "This smell is atrocious."

Soree laughed a little. "Yea and I think our little wolfy agrees since he's been keepin' his eyes on us since our return."

Alex nodded and turned her sharp black eye to Minh who was stumbling trying to look indiscrete. She gave a disapproving noise and, when his head was turned, vanished; reappearing beside the stumbling hanyou. "Like what you see back there wolf boy."

At the toneless voice sounding in his ear Minh gave a frightened yelp and fell backwards. The rest of the group, other then Soree who was watching from the start, turned around to see Minh's labored breaths a hand over his heart and his wide eye zeroed in on a smirking Alex. At the scene Laruda and Verie burst into laughter as Verie tried to help him up; Shingo looked on the scene confused on what was so funny, then he shrugged and went back to running around in the flowers.

"Well, now you know to mind your own business." Laruda managed to gasp out between her laughter as she patted the startled wolf.

Minh regained his composure shortly after the three girls got over their laughing fits and turned to face Alex and Soree. "What happened back there? Why are you covered in all that blood?"

Alex, who had started to walk towards Shingo, turned sharply to the boy, her eyes in a frozen glare as she stared at him. "What do you think happened?" It wasn't a question. She turned back to where Shingo was and rushed over to him, picking him up and tickling him with a happy smile on her face.

Soree also lost her spark as she put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn to her. "You haven't been with us for long, only about three weeks, when and if you actually become one of ours then we'll tell you." Minh couldn't help but noticed as her dark eyes slowly became a violet shade. "Until that day, do not ask any of us such questions, am I clear?" He nodded. "Good let's go."

Her eyes quickly turned to their normal sparkling brown and she led the way to where Alex, Laruda and Verie stood playing with Shingo. He heard her shout about needing a bath and shook him self from his state of fright. _Everyone has a past I guess... _With that he ran up to the rest smiling and laughing with them.

It took them a good day before they found a river far enough from the traitorous village they had left. Through their journey they did not stop but once to eat and stayed off the main road, erasing their tracks as they walked. In the night they continued to walk, each of the group taking their turns in holding the sleeping toddler, until Laruda also fell asleep changing it to where Alex carried the young teen and Soree her sword. When they did find the river, it was nearing sunrise, Verie and Minh set up camp around the two sleeping figures, after which they too went to bed. Meanwhile Alex and Soree gathered some bath supplies and went to go wash up, this time without their swim suites.

They were so happy to get the dried and caked on blood and dirt off of them that the two did nothing to pay attention to their surroundings, for if they where then they, or at least Alex, would have noticed the presence that watched them from behind the trees that stood not to far from where they bathed.

Sesshomaru watched from his spot against the tree of their camp grounds from the night before as Rin played with a very reluctant Jaken. The reason they had yet to continue their journey to his castle was simple: he was enjoying the peace of the western woods and did not feel like moving on quite yet.

Sesshomaru leaned his head against the back of the tree for a second and inhaled deeply. The scent that caught his nose caused him to bolt up and follow it, not knowing that Rin and Jaken followed much slower behind their disappearing lord. That scent was a mixture of human blood and something else, something almost intoxicating if it weren't for the blood. He stopped when he reached a river farther into the woods; this was where the smell was coming from. As he began to make his way to the river a dark figure of a women with short hair emerged from the water, her back to him, causing him to go back behind the tree and soon after another female figure emerged.

This one was facing him. Sesshomaru knew that he should turn his eyes, but couldn't; the intoxicating aroma was now in full blast as the blood rushed from her body and it was paralyzing him. Since moving was out of the question, he decided to study to demon-ness before him: her long pitch black hair effectively hid her breast from his site, but not her toned stomach and face which was framed by long wet red bangs. On her forehead sat a strange yokai symbol of a black eight point star surrounding a silver crescent moon, almost matching his but turned upwards. He could see her black tail floating leisurely in the water behind her as she talked with the other much darker colored human girl. Though he was too far away to see the actual color of her eyes, he did notice that they seemed to be impossibly black and void. _What is she?_ He could feel his demonic side trying to break through. _**Well she looks tasty…**_ Sesshomaru was shocked; his yokai from wanted some unknown demon-ness?

Suddenly he felt a jerk on his leg and broke from his trance to see his servant Jaken on the ground by his leg apologizing profusely. He quickly looked up to see Rin running to the two unknown females. He inwardly cursed and went after her.

Alex and Soree turned sharply when they heard a small giggle coming from behind them. The two quickly dove into the water hiding as a tall majestic demon emerged running after the small giggling human girl who was heading their way. They were about to jump after when they noticed the child only pout and begin to talk to him.

"But Rin wants to play with the pretty ladies, Lord Sesshomaru!" Both girls sweet dropped and the aforementioned lord merely looked towards the figures submerged in the water.

Soree and Alex were beginning to get annoyed as the demon stared at them, and even more so when yet another, though much smaller and uglier, demon arrived on the scene and he too did nothing more then stare.

"Get the hell out of here you pervert!" Soree's scream left her demonic friends ears ringing and her head spinning. "Oops! Oh Alex I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" Soree began to shake the already dizzy demon-ness; completely disregarding the potentially dangerous demon before them.

Now this caught Sesshomaru by surprise: he was being ignored! He let out a small growl of annoyance; here he was unable to take his eyes from the demon-ness and she was completely disregarding his presence all together, as if he, Lord Sesshomaru, was nothing more then average demon. Suddenly two more figures burst through the woods. They glanced at him for a second and then turned their eyes to the pair in the water. The wolf hanyou blushed deeply closing his eyes tightly and turning around, muttering something about going to get a Verie? The girl started to laugh and say something like 'you know you shouldn't yell in her ears Soree'. Then another girl emerged from the same part of the woods that the wolf had gone into and she too blushed and went back from where she came. Ok now he was really mad! Not one of these people paid any attention to him. He growled again in annoyance, no one was supposed to ignore him; he was supposed to be enthralling and intimidating!

Alex shook her self from her dizzy state and looked around at her friends and the new comers. She shook her head at the scene before her and turned to the annoyed demon and glared, he was still staring. She sat up using her arms to cover her dignity and shouted at him.

"Will you give us some privacy?" At the demon-ness's shout Sesshomaru turned his attention to the thing that had originally brought him from his peaceful rest. Instead of answering he kicked his staring servant and turned his back to the girls. "Whatever." Alex scuffed and wadded her way out of the water followed by Soree.

The two quickly dressed in the outfits they had gotten from the seamstress and, with Laruda, began to make their way back to camp; ignoring the fact that the other three were following a little ways behind them; in fact they took to just completely ignoring them as if they had never existed.

When they arrived Alex and Soree immediately went to their palates, Soree lying down to sleep while Alex just sat and watched as Shingo, Laruda and a tired Minh played a small game of tag, before Minh insisted on getting some sleep.

Shingo pouted when his two playmates went to go sleep until he saw his adopted mother sitting on the ground smiling at him. "Momma, you're back!" He giggled as he ran into Alex's open arms.

_**Damn it she's already mated… I could just kill her mate... I'm sure it's just that wolf hanyou. Hahaha.**_ Sesshomaru shook his head at this; his inner demon was strange. Suddenly Jaken stepped forward, staring at the beautiful demon-ness in shock.

"Please do not tell this lowly Jaken that such a powerful yokai is mated to some weak hanyou such as that wolf that lay there!" Sesshomaru was inwardly surprised that Jaken asked the question that he himself had wanted to know.

"Hey." Minh shouted as he shot up.

Alex glared at the toad for his bold question. "You're right, you are a lowly Jaken, where do you get off prying into my personal life, you miserable toad." Though she did not know the wolf for long, he was still one of her charges, and this creature insulted him.

"Yea! Even if I was her mate you have no right to question it!" Minh was not happy about the insult either.

Sesshomaru raised a delicate eyebrow. "If?" He stared at Alex. "So this assumption that my servant made is not the truth."

Alex stood from her make shift bed and approached the much taller demon lord. "Oh so you didn't assume the same thing?"

"This Lord Sesshomaru dose not assume."

"I highly doubt that."

"You would dare to question the western lord."

"I could care less if you ruled the whole damned universe, I'll question you till the day you die."

"Why would this Sesshomaru assume anything about such a lowly demon?"

"So you didn't plan to 'just kill -my- mate'?"

"Why would I want to?"

"You tell me it's your damned head."

Both began to glare each other down, not realizing just how close they were and still getting. The two were mere inches apart growling at the other, both of their eyes slowly bleeding red as they continued their argument, when Verie finally stepped between the two. This was not the smartest thing to do because Sesshomaru's demon side had finally emerged and was ready to swipe at the human that stood between him and his prey.

Seeing his action Alex took off; she leaped at him and grabbed both of his arms forcing him to slam his back into a tree a foot from where they had once stood, splinting the wood under his form, her eyes bleeding completely red as black jagged marks crawled onto her cheeks. The demon Sesshomaru growled and started to fight back, quickly reversing their positions and slamming her into the tree; causing the poor tree to crack even more by the rough slam. Alex's eyes continued to change to a demonic black where the white was as she struggled under the taller demon before swiping at his feet and knocking him to the ground. For well over ten minuets the two demons struggled for the upper hand that is until Sesshomaru accidentally grabbed Alex's tail. The demon-ness gasped out causing the demon lord to halt in his next attack. He stared up at the blushing; wide eyed girl that straddled him and smirked then he quickly flipped them and held both of her hands above her head with one of his clawed hands while the other gently rubbed her sensitive tail. Alex tried to struggle at first, but couldn't stop the shivers that ran over her body as her most sensitive limb was gently stroked by the majestic demon lord. Slowly she gave into the sensation and began to purr as her dark eyes vanished beneath her eyelids.

Sesshomaru's demon side smirked in triumph as he lowered his gaze to Alex's exposed neck. He gave a small chuckle as he lowered his head to her ear. "Now my other side my not like you yet, but it won't take long, my mate." Alex's eyes shot open in surprise, but he was still stroking her tail so she was powerless to do much of anything but try to resist purring. His face then lowered even more to her neck; as soon as his fangs were about to graze her neck a sharp scythe found its way to his own neck, nicking it only a little to show the seriousness of its wielder. The demon lifted his red eyes to the owner of the weapon and growled.

Soree smiled dangerously at the pissed demon. "Now I love playing games with the kitten here as much as the next person, but you might want to tone it down. Her tail is the most sensitive part of her body; when petted she's helpless." She used the blade of her scythe to guide him off of her friend and back against the tree trunk until he calmed himself down. "And I won't allow you to use it to force her to mate with you."

The demon Sesshomaru looked around to see the rest of her friends armed and prepared to fight. Thinking that they were just human he studied them more closely: The girl with the scythe did not hesitate to show her seriousness, even with her smiling face, by nicking his throat when the blade first touched him. Next he looked towards the innocent looking girl wielding a bow and arrow, her hand was sturdy and her aim straight and true for his heart; she showed not even an ounce of hesitation in her stance as she pulled the arrow back further. He glanced to the other side and saw a girl with a long sword, though it was held over her shoulder, he could tell from her stance that she was fast and would be on him if he made another move. The only one that did not seem as sturdy was the wolf, but the other three seemed to make up for his hesitation. His red eyes then turned to the now standing and ready demon-ness and remembered their small spat earlier; he could still feel the bruise from where his back hit the tree. Slowly his eyes went back to their golden color and his face went back to its emotionless state, his demon side not wishing for the death that would follow shortly should he stay in that situation.

"He's back to normal." With Soree's words everyone lost their malice and went to life as normal.

Sesshomaru turned to the only other demon in the area and was shocked. She was completely normal, even after going into her demonic state, how? She spared him a glance before turning to her palate and lying down, Shingo cuddling up with her and the two fell into a peaceful sleep; Soree, Verie and Minh joined the two in dream land shortly after, none of them sleeping at all the night before.

"Well I guess Alex trusts you well enough." Sesshomaru turned to the youngest human girl. "We ended up walking all night to get away from a village that tried to kill Al and the boys… well those idiots are dead now, shame." She went on mumbling to her self.

"Why do you speak so much human?" Laruda glared down at the toad demon, and then smiled. "What?"

"And I thought I was small." She began to laugh.

"Lord Jaken is small!" Rin laughed as well as she ran around the now pouting Jaken.

"I am not short!" The shout caused Sesshomaru to glare over at the servant.

"Be quite Jaken, you are not to wake them."

Laruda smiled at the tall western lord. "Do you like Alex-mamma?"

He looked to the girl. "Momma?" His eyes narrowed. "Then she is mated, where is he?"

She laughed again. "No she's not 'mated'." Laruda looked to the sleeping group. "She and the others took me in three years ago, almost four now, I was 11 nearly 12, so I've called her Alex-mamma since. No wait I called her that before to, she was always like a mother to all of us, taking care of us and protecting us…" She shook her head and asked Rin if she wanted to play for a little bit; in which Rin happily agreed to and dragged Jaken into playing as well, leaving Sesshomaru to his thoughts.

Back with Inuyasha's group

"Ok so according to this guy they were heading west and that was about a month ago." Miroku said as the group left the small village.

"Oh how could I let them get lost?" Kagome groaned as they continued walking. "Now it's going to take forever to find them and then get back on track!"

"Cha I think we should just forget them and keep going." Inuyasha scuffed as he marched on.

"Oh that's why you're leading the way right." Kagome said with a sly smile. "Maybe I should tell Alex, the demon-ness, about you not wanting to help her best friend's cousin." Inuyasha suddenly stumbled and faltered nervously.

Sango laughed out. "Oh my! Inuyasha are you afraid of that girl?" She couldn't stop her laughing.

"N-no!" He shouted at the laughing group. "Shut up! That woman was too powerful to be a mere neko yokai! Shut up!" he growled and roughly pulled Kagome into his arms and took off. Kirrara mewed in annoyance before transforming. The others hopped on and followed the disappearing hanyou and priestess. Traveling at this speed they managed to cover about three times as much ground.

Back with Alex's group

That night came and the group decided to camp there for one more night to rest up and then they would continue their search in the morning. Hearing this Sesshomaru inquired what they were looking; Alex just stared emotionlessly at the demon that had stayed with them despite his lack of invitation.

Soree laughed. "Don't mind her, she's still pissed that you found her week point." Soree patted the growling demon-ness on the back. "Any way we're searchin for Ver's cousin and her group."

Verie nodded. "Yea we lost Kagome and the others a while back, like two months ago, because, unfortunately, not one of us has a good since of direction." At her statement most of the girls blushed lightly and laughed, except Alex who turned her reddening face to the side in hops of hiding it.

"Rin knows Kagome!" The entire group turned to the small girl.

"You know Miss Kagome?" Shingo voiced what the others had wanted to, even though Minh had never met the girl he knew what they were looking for.

Rin nodded happily. "She travels with the 'filthy hanyou' Inuyasha!" She lowered her voice to try and sound like Jaken. Everyone, but Sesshomaru and Jaken, laughed at the impression.

"You know she does travel with a hanyou… but I don't recall his name… umm Dog something… or is that what I call him?" Alex mumbled as she tried to recall that hanyou's name.

Laruda sweet dropped. "Alex… his name was Inuyasha…"

Alex looked over at her young friend. "Was it now, Chibi?" She thought for a moment ant then gave a shrug. "Oh well."

Verie jumped up happily and ran over to the sitting lord. "That means you can help us find my cousin!" She giggled happily as she turned back to Alex. "Oh come on you have to agree! He's from around here and knows the area so much better then we do." Giving Alex a pleading look.

Alex sighed, Verie was just too ecstatic for her to say no to; Minh popped down beside her and whispered near her pointed ear. "Man I didn't think humans could be so impossibly cute! Look at that."

Alex smirked and whispered back. "Yea it's impossible for me to deny her anything when she's like this." She then raised her voice so that all around could hear it. "Alright, if dog man there agrees then he will help us find the rest of our party."

Sesshomaru hadn't paid much attention to anything but how close that lowly wolf demon had sat to Alex, and the way he had whispered in her ear making her smile and laugh. (That is what he saw happening anyway.)

"Why would my Lord Sesshomaru set out to purposely find his stupid half brother" Jaken was abruptly cut off as Sesshomaru kicked the servant to the ground.

"This Sesshomaru will assist you in finding his half brother Inuyasha."

Alex smirked. "Half brother, ne?" She turned her head to the sky and noticed how late it really was; she aloud her face to soften as she looked to where the two small children and Laruda were playing. "Come now Shingo, Chibi, it's far past your bed times." She then looked at the slightly pouting girl and smiled. "You should come to bed as well little one." The girl looked up and gave a brilliant smile and ran with the other two to her small palate that Shingo had offered her, since he slept with his momma anyway.

Alex and Shingo cuddled up together and Alex wrapped her long tail around his small form. Sesshomaru and Rin watched with very different thoughts. _She's great with cubs… she really would make an excellent mate someday. _ He looked down at his own charge to see her staring at Al ex as well, but she had a look of longing. _Does she wish for a mother perhaps?_ He couldn't stop the thoughts that entered his head as he pictured Rin and Shingo playing in his castle gardens while he and a very pregnant Alex watched happily. The aforementioned girl suddenly shot up and looked over at him and Rin with wide eyes; this startled him for a second. Slowly her eyes softened as she stared at the little girl and she gave a light smile.

"Rin would you like to come over here for the night?" Rin smiled brightly and looked towards Sesshomaru. He gave a nod of approval and she rushed to where the two lay.

After the three where cuddled up and the children tucked gently in the demon-ness long tail and asleep, Sesshomaru stood and walked to the other side of the children as sat down there. Alex watched him make this move curiously. When he saw her look he merely nodded his head down to Rin as if that would explain it, and for Alex it did. With that she looked around at all of her friends. Soree and Laruda were on the other side of the fire fast asleep, Verie was right behind her asleep as well and on the other side of Sesshomaru was where Minh and Jaken slept. Alex couldn't help but notice that Sesshomaru had managed to place himself between her and Minh. She nodded in satisfaction and sniffed about the air, other then the yokai and hanyou in her group, there where no demons in the area for her to worry about and with that she aloud her self to fall into a peaceful sleep.

Sesshomaru watched as she took the time to see where all of her friends were sleeping then sniff the air to make sure they were safe before allowing her self to fall asleep. He found it very interesting as he too sniffed the air and, satisfied with the results, fell into a light sleep; allowing his tail to go protectively around the children as well.

That morning both he and Alex were the first to awaken, and both groggily sniffed the air for an extra precaution. Sesshomaru was the first to come out of his sleepy mode and turned his face to the other demon. There wrapped snuggly around her waist was his tail. His eyes widened as he quickly pulled his tail from around her and wrapped it around himself. He turned his eyes to Alex to see if she noticed when she gave a cat like mew and stretched out before turning and walking to the river. When she came back she was dressed for the day in a black and red GI (think about what Misao from Kenshin wears only the main part is black and the lighter parts are red). Her long black hair tied back into a tight braid with her long red bangs left hanging out, as well as the two thick red pieces of hair that framed her face. On her forehead was a red band, and on her arms were black fingerless gloves and on her feet were black slippers. She was now fully awake and went about waking up the others, including Jaken and Rin to his ultimate surprise.

The other girls went to the river as well to get ready for the day, while Minh went off in the other direction to do the same. Alex set about getting Shingo into his white and gold kimono (think mini Sesshomaru without the armor or spikes.) and then ushered him off to the river with her so that he could brush his teeth and she could fix is long hair. It was another thirty minuets until the group of seven adults and two kids were ready to leave.

"He more then likely went east, so that is the way that we shall head." He looked over the group. "I suppose we will not be going fast due to our human companions?" His question was directed to Alex.

She shrugged. "Not unless you plan on carrying them your self, I'm not stupid enough to do that." She said implying that he was.

Sesshomaru growled as they continued their path. "This Sesshomaru is helping you so I would not be so hasty to pick a fight."

"Who's picking a fight? I'm just pointing out that these girls are fighters and don't like to be carried, you're the one that assumed I was calling you stupid."

"You, girl, are pushing your luck. This Sesshomaru is not to be toyed with by little girls."

"Well this little girl enjoys toying with the great Sesshomaru."

This argument carried on for the next two and a half hours until it was time for lunch. After which yet another argument started between the two and by the end of the night the two had managed to make the journey not only more entertaining for the rest of the group, save a very confused Jaken, but also faster: they had covered nearly twice as far as they normally would have, due to the fact that the two leaders were too busy arguing to pay attention to how fast or far they had traveled.

That night Sesshomaru had a hard time sleeping. Why was he acting so strangely? It was not like him to allow himself to be dragged into an argument so easily, yet this small girl had managed to keep him arguing all day and had ended up winning most of them at that. He was so very confused. When he finally did manage to fall asleep his dreams were filled with the same happy house hold that he had imagined the first night with her, and this confused him even more.

They traveled like this for the next week before Soree finally got tired of the stupid fights and told them that they could either shut it or kiss. Alex didn't need any other persuasion as she fell back from the demon lord's side and began to play with Rin and Shingo. From then on the main conversations they had were about the journey and supplies they would need, but, though he wouldn't admit it, Sesshomaru really wanted to continue their arguments, he really enjoyed them.

It had been two days since their last argument when the group was suddenly surrounded by strange wasp like creatures. "What the hell is this?" To answer Alex's question another guy in a baboon pelt appeared.

Sesshomaru growled. "Naraku."

Alex turned to the growling lord as she stepped protectively in front of Shingo and Rin. "What the hell is a Naraku?"

The creature allowed a large evil smile to form on its lips. "Well, my lovely, I am a very powerful enemy of the yokai that you are currently traveling with."

Alex scuffed, "Powerful my ass. That last damned puppet was gone with just one hit."

Sesshomaru looked at the girl in shock; Naraku's puppets were never so easily defeated. Naraku once again smirked and removed the baboon head. "That is why, this time, I came myself." He let out a sickening laugh. "Now little cat, why don't you just give up and join me. I could use such a powerful demon-ness on my side."

Alex's eyes narrowed as the wind carried off Naraku and went to her. _And then I'll get rid of your stupid little group...Kukukuku._ Her glare turned form cold to frozen as her body slowly started to change. She assessed the situation that they were in then turned to Soree, Laruda and Verie. "Soree and I will handle this thing; Laruda, Verie get rid of those wasps." She turned her head to Minh and Jaken. "Protect the kids." Minh nodded and pulled the two close to him, Alex then turned to Sesshomaru. "Help them with the wasps." Her voice was cold and commanding as she spoke with experience and authority.

Soree looked at their opponent, something was off about him. "Should we take this seriously?"

Alex also noticed something was off about him and nodded to her friend. Taking a second to look behind her to the others. When she noticed that they were doing fine and fighting hard she turned back to Naraku. With a nod to Soree both girls allowed themselves to fully take their other forms: Shini and Chaos (refer to chap 2). Naraku looked at the two in shock as their transformation was completed.

Soree smirked and rushed at him with her scythe ready to slice through her target. Naraku jumped up in the air dodging the attack only to have Alex suddenly appear above him and swipe at him with her poisoned claws. Thinking quickly he managed to dodge that attack as well, though barely. The two girls attacked with such speed and efficiency that all he could do was dodge their attacks, not able to even think of attacking them himself.

Behind the three Laruda, Verie, Sesshomaru fought off the wasps. Sesshomaru stood protectively in front of Verie while she shot through groups of wasps at a time, purifying them while he made sure that not one of the poisonous in insects made it to the archer with his poisoned whip. Behind them Laruda was doing the same thing at more of a distance as she sliced through the bugs with her long, almost glowing, sword. Off in the background was Minh fighting the insects that tried to get through to the children; Shingo stood in front of Rin with his little sword unsheathed and ready to protect her.

This is the scene that Inuyasha and his group came in on. Kagome and Sango rushed to help out Verie, Laruda and Sesshomaru, while Miroku went to aid Minh in protecting the children and Inuyasha shouted out to the two fighting Naraku as he went to help them. Soree turned when she heard the shout and Naraku took this opportunity to attack the distracted girl. Alex saw this and quickly vanished, reappearing as Naraku was about to sink his claws into Soree's stomach, taking the attack instead of her friend.

Soree turned her head as the claws struck Alex's stomach. "No!" Alex coughed out blood and grabbed onto Naraku's arm; keeping him from escaping as Inuyasha swung his sword up in the air. Naraku's eyes widened in fright and he tried to pull his arm free of the demon-ness's stomach, but she gave a weak smirk and raised the poisonous claws of her free hand. The two attacks hit him at the same time; tearing him into three and Alex pulled the arm from her wound.

Naraku's torn body floated in the air, and his head glared at the group. "I'll be back for you, you little bitch" With that said he floated out of the area.

Alex smirked as she tried to stand up, stumbling only a little as she did so. "That didn't seem so hard." She coughed harshly and held her wounded stomach. "Soree, are you alright?"

Soree stood stunned as she stared at her friend. "Alex… why?"

Verie and Laruda ran over to her as fast as they could, but she held her hand out to stop them from coming any closer and smiled at them. "I am quite alright I assure you. How are the young ones?"

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha looked on at the girl shocked that she could hold out so long. Inuyasha gagged a little. "All that blood, how is she still alive, non less standing." His whisper reached two pairs of ears. Alex turned and gave a smile as she slowly made her way over to the two brothers.

She looked at each of them from half lidded eyes and gave a small happy smile. "You really are brothers… how lucky you are." She laughed again a cough cutting through the laugh. "How… lucky you…uhh." She fell over and into Sesshomaru's arms. The demon lord gently laid her on the ground while the others surrounded her. There they could truly see the full extent of the damage that Naraku had caused.

"Is this… Is this what frightened Naraku so much that he would leave even when he could have still won?" Sango's voice echoed over the group as they stared at the vast wound that split from her lower abdomen to just below her breast. This wound should have killed her the moment she received it.

Sesshomaru picked the fallen worrier up and turned to the others around him. "Where is the closest town?" The members of Alex's and his group looked at Kagome and Inuyasha's group.

Kagome was the one to step forward. "Actually Kiedea's Village is about a days travel, walking. Inuyasha and I could lead the way, come on." Inuyasha pulled Kagome into his arms and they took off to Kiedea's village Sesshomaru following quickly behind them.

Verie ran over to Minh and the kids. She picked up Shingo and looked at Minh. "Please you have to help…" He nodded and picked the duo up, following the other two demons.

Sango and Miroku looked at the last two of Alex's friends and sighed. "Kirrara can take the rest of us on her back." The neko grew larger and the group climbed onto her back.

When they arrived at the village Kiedea and Kagome had already started to work on cleaning and bandaging the wound with some healing men and women from the neighboring villages. The others were sitting outside waiting for news. After only thirty minuets the healers came out of the hut.

Verie was quick to rush to the men and women. "How is she?"

They paused and scratched their heads and Kagome stepped forward. "Verie… she's… well she's umm."

"I'm fine." Everyone turned to the voice to see Alex leaning against the well. "Just light headed from a bit of blood lost is all."

Kagome sighed. "She woke up when we had finished cleaning her wound and ordered us to stop. She had me bandage her wounds, but that was it."

Soree began to laugh. "I tried to tell you that she would be fine, but I was still in shock."

Verie put her finger to her chin. "Now that I think about it she's had worse."

"Much worse." Laruda added in.

The others looked at the three strangely. "And you couldn't have mentioned this earlier!" Inuyasha's yell echoed through the village. "Damn it! I was helping him for crying out loud." Tossing his fore finger in Sesshomaru's direction

"Well when I saw the blood my mind went out the win" Verie's explanation was halted when Alex stood from her position on the wall.

Everyone looked at the now angry women. "You say that as if it was a bad thing." She walked closer to the frightened hanyou. "That's your brother; you should be willingly helping him."

Sesshomaru hid his worry as blood started to redden her new bandages. "Though he is this ones half brother, we are not on friendly terms." He tried to keep his eyes from her stomach, but the blood was still seeping out. He walked up to her and grabbed her arm lightly, prepared to take her into the hut and finish fixing her wound when she yanked her arm from his grasp.

"You have no idea how lucky you are to have a brother and you through him away." She sneered and grasped her stomach. "You're nothing more then an idiot." She scuffed and turned to Verie. "These bandages are no good, let's change them." Verie nodded and started to follow when Sesshomaru followed instead.

"I will help change them."

She turned to look at him. "Oh I don't think so. You two _**brothers**_ are the reason my wound started this again. So how about you stay away from me and my bandages." He couldn't help but notice that she once again had her hand covering the wound. "We found the others; we don't need you!" She spat out turning her back to him.

"There isn't time to argue, let's go." He grabbed arm again and dragged her off to the hut.

"Damn it I said no!" Her shouts could be heard through out the whole village as they entered Kiedea's hut.

Sesshomaru dropped her arm and turned to face her. "This Sesshomaru knows not why you are so unhappy with him about his brother, but it is no reason to fight this one."

She glared at him. "You know if my brothers were still alive I would be ecstatic. Yet here you have a perfectly healthy little brother and you shun him." Sesshomaru looked down at the small girl; her black eyes looked darker then normal, which seemed impossible.

"You have brothers?" His question caught her off guard as he started to remove the robe that sat around her torso and then began to undue the bandages, trying not to look above the wounded area.

"I had two…"

"Had?"

"Their… gone." An image flashed through her head…

"_Alex…" The 15 year old fell to the ground, trapping the six year old beneath him on accident. ……_She closed her eyes tightly and another image ran through her head…_"Help m" Another shot cut him off as his dead eyes stared back at Alex as the men laughed in triumph._

Sesshomaru had finished un-wrapping the wound while her mind was else where; what he saw shocked him greatly. Her blood he on the first layer of the bandages was red, but not the blood that was now seeping from the open wound onto the bandage. Alex gasped as she came back to reality and shoved him away from her.

"I said you won't be the one to rewrap it so leave! Now!" The anger in her voice was underlined with panic. "What the hell did you see?"

Sesshomaru ignored her and ripped away the covering and looked at the wound again before she pushed him away. That action started yet another fight between the two ending with the two on top of the table, Sesshomaru holding her arms over her head and both breathing heavily. That was the scene that Kagome and Sango walked in on when they were going to check on Alex. Sango gaped open mouthed while Kagome screamed, causing the two on the table to look over at the girls just as Inuyasha and Miroku burst into the door. There they saw Sesshomaru on top of Alex with her shirt spread wide open one of his hands trapping both of her hand above her head and the other hand just below her right breast.

"Well this looks bad." Alex mumbled as her friends ran in as well and started to laugh.

"Man you guys end up like that a lot…Although Alex usually has her shirt on." Soree laughed out even harder.

Kagome looked at the dark girl. "This has happened before?"

Verie nodded with a blush. "Yea but Alex had her shirt on…" She refused to look at her half naked friend under the much taller demon lord. "Alex do you mind." Alex blushed darkly and tried to shove the man off her.

"Not until I see that wound." He growled not letting on why he wanted to see the wound. He quickly turned his face to the others, his eyes slowly going red again. "The rest of you can leave."

Alex's eyes widened at his eyes; the last time his eyes did that he was going to make her mate with him. "Shit no! Verie will fix the bandages; now get the hell off me!" She began to struggle from under him.

Sesshomaru let out a growl and closed his eyes. "Don't do that." By this time the others had left the two demons alone.

She did it again to spite him. "Oh and why not?" Once again she struggled under him.

His growl was more pronounced this time as he leaned down closer to her face. "Because something bad might happen if you keep that up."

Again she struggled. "What would that be?"

His face was far to close to hers for either of their comforts. "You'll end up as mine and only mine." His growl turned into a purr as he nuzzled her neck; his demon side had once again surfaced.

This time it was her turn to growl.

Outside Inuyasha stood with the others smirking. "Never thought that stick in the ass would ever want a mate!" He laughed and the other shook their head at his choice of words.

Verie gave a small giggle at the thought of Alex being pregnant. Soree laughed at the hanyou for a second then gained a thoughtful look. "You know I think there's a reason why he shouldn't change her bandages." She mumbled loud enough for the others to hear her.

Suddenly both she and Verie gasped. "Oh no!" The shouted at the same time and rushed for the hut.

Back inside Alex had stopped struggling underneath Sesshomaru and waited for him to calm down. _Damn it… _She rolled her eyes as the thought crossed her mind. "You can get off of me now, dog boy."

Sesshomaru had calmed enough to revert back to his normal self as he looked down the demon-ness beneath him. His eyes narrowed and he brought his free hand up, ready to swipe the darkening bandages off and reveal the wound when Verie and Soree burst through the door.

"Stop!" Their simultaneous shouts distracted Sesshomaru long enough for Alex to wrap her tail around him and shove him off of her. Acting quickly Verie ran to her friend while Soree pulled her scythe from her back and held it to his neck; guiding him out of the hut.

Outside Sesshomaru noticed that Minh and Laruda stood in front of the entrance armed; making sure that no one else entered. Once he was clear of the door Soree took up guarding between the other two as extra precaution.

Laruda gave a quick glance to her friend. "Did he…?" She let her voice trail.

"Luckily no..."

"That's good."

The others outside looked a bit confused until they heard voice's from inside the hut.

"I'm so sorry Alex; I forgot our… condition." Verie's voice was sad and filled with guilt.

A soft laugh echoed through the group. "Hey, no harm done right?" Alex waved it off as the two exited the hut, Alex now fully dressed.

"What are you hiding from us?" Inuyasha was the first to speak up. "There's no way that you guys are normal! And no neko yokai can do what you did back there! What the hell is going on?"

The group of girls merely stared back at the others, while Minh stood quietly behind them with Shingo. None of them looked happy or smiled; just melancholy. Alex stepped forward.

"I cannot possibly see how it concerns you." Her glare was dark and threatening as she looked at each one of the questioners. "We have no reason to trust you with the information that you ask us to give."


	4. Chapter 4

Inuyasha stared, dumbfounded at the group before him. "Oh but you'll trust some wolf with it?" He all but screamed to the dangerous yokai before him.

It was Minh who stepped forward this time. "Actually I have no idea what's going on." He gave a shrug as the other group gawked at him. "These girls are the first friends I've ever had, and they except me into their 'family'. So I don't really care what they are, I still stand by them."

Verie gave him a small grateful smile before she turned to her cousin's group. "I'm sorry Kagome, but it has nothing to do with you."

"Oh so you can lecture me on hating my half brother here, but we can't demand to know what the hell is up with you guys?" Inuyasha's rant would have continued on like this if Alex hadn't interrupted him.

"You want to know what's up with us." Her voice was dead and her eyes began to flash from silver to black over and over. "You think that you know so much that you can question those stronger then yourself."

Inuyasha's group began to back off as the flashing in Alex's eyes began to increase in speed. Sesshomaru watched with wide eyes while Jaken hid behind his lord's legs. Images began to flash through the minds of every adult present; horrible images of family and friends, children, mothers and fathers died terrible deaths. Images of young girls watching their loved ones mutilated and murdered before their very eyes. With each flash, the scenes got bloodier; with each flash they became more gruesome. The final flash came of the killers laughing joyously, being celebrated as heroes amongst the populace.

"You think you have any right to question our reasoning." Alex's eyes stopped flashing as the final image flashed through their heads and she and her group walked away; Sesshomaru Rin and Jaken not too far behind them as the group exited the village.

"What … what the hell was that?" Inuyasha's voice was barely above a whisper as he tried to expel the terrifying images from his memory.

She was so far beyond pissed at the insolence of that group that Alex just kept on walking out of the village and towards the west once again, a silent and sleepy Shingo snuggled in her warm arms.

"Alex, should we really leave them again?" Laruda asked quietly as she looked over her shoulder to the disappearing village.

Alex gave a sigh and nodded. "They will only question us if we stay; besides our unwanted companion knows how to get back here so we should be fine." Her voice was calmer now as she looked back at the three that once again joined them. She looked down and saw little Rin stammering sleepily behind the others. Allowing herself to slow down until she was in the back with them; she caught Sesshomaru's attention then shook her head towards Rin. He looked back and scooped the sleepy girl into his arms where she fell asleep almost instantly.

With that the group walked for the rest of the night and well into the following afternoon until they decided to stop for the night. They set up a small camp and started to discuss which way they should head.

(A.N. - Ok Take into account that it was late June when they got to the past, and they've been there for about three months now.)

"I say south, it's a nice place to stay for the winter months, much warmer." Minh suggest from his spot between Verie and Alex.

"I dunno… Aren't we a little too far north, I mean it's almost winter now and it'll take a couple of months to get far enough south." Soree added in thoughtfully as she went through were they were and were south was.

"Well maybe we could stay at some village." Verie put in thinking about a nice warm cottage with her and her friends while the kids' played outside in the snow.

"Not a chance. Last Village tried to skin us demons alive." Alex put in. "There's got to be some place were none of us could get hurt and it's still warm enough for us to survive." She said as she looked to where Laruda, Shingo and Rin were playing with a very disturbed Jaken. "We can't put the little ones in danger."

Sesshomaru sat quietly through their discussion and thought about how far away his castle was. It would be safe for the children, warm through the winter; he could show off his home to… He shook his head lightly and looked around the group of adults. "This Sesshomaru has room in his castle. It is safe for the children and warm through the winter months."

Alex looked at him curiously then shrugged. "Alright, how far is it?"

"About a month's journey."

"Well then we should make it before it gets too awfully cold out." Soree added in.

"We start in the morning then?" Verie questioned.

Alex and Sesshomaru nodded. "Early." She said as she stood up. "So lets get some rest." With that she walked over to the kids and Laruda and ushered them to bed. The others followed the example and laid out in the same order they had the first night Sesshomaru had joined them.

The following morning the group began their journey, stopping only once to eat. They traveled like this for the next to weeks, only deterring to gather needed supplies to eat or to sleep. It wasn't till the end of September that the group had to stop at a fairly large village to gather winter supplies so that they didn't freeze before they arrived at Sesshomaru's castle and it took some time for them to get what they needed due to the fact that half of them were demons, and that Sesshomaru had threatened them a numerous amount of times. It took them nearly a week to leave because of this. By the beginning of October they had finally reached the outskirts of Sesshomaru's territory when it decided to snow on the group.

The rest of the way to his castle Alex growled and grumbled about the cold and how much it sucked. Soree and Laruda spent it hurling snowballs at everyone but Alex; most of which were happy to participate, including Jaken, while Sesshomaru growled each time a ball hit the back of his head. Finally annoyed with Alex's constant complaints about the cold, and the fact that no one through a ball of freezing snow at her; Sesshomaru bent down and scooped up a handful of snow without being noticed and hurled it at the unsuspecting demon-ness.

When the other girls saw this they began to shout, but it was too late. Alex turned around in time to see a snowball heading right at her and didn't have time to dodge. As the snowball was about an inch from her face it quickly melted and the, now warm, water hit her directly in the face. The group stood there frozen in their spots.

"Shit." Soree's whisper echoed among the group.

Shingo looked around confused. "So it's warm around mommy, so what? I could a told you that!" He giggled and Rin nodded in agreement, indicating that she knew this little fact as well.

Sesshomaru walked closer to Alex and went to touch her face. The air around her body was hot, very hot. "You smell of fire, wild flowers and neko…" he whispered placing each sent that surrounded the demon-ness. "You are only half neko yokai." This realization hit him hard as he drew his hand back.

Alex merely quirked and eyebrow at the western lord and scuffed. "I don't see why that matters." She could only hope he hadn't figured the rest out.

"You're full yokai though."

"Don't look into it too much." Her tone left little room for argument and the discussion was ended.

The two took to ignoring each other for the rest of the trip to Sesshomaru's castle. Alex went off playing with the kids, Verie and Laruda, while Sesshomaru led the way to his castle at the front of the line with Jaken.

"We are only an hour from my lord's castle!" Jaken announced happily as the giant castle loomed ahead of the small group.

Sesshomaru turned his cold golden eyes to the teens behind him and gave a slight smirk. All, but Alex, gawked at the size; when he turned his stare to Alex she froze, her eyes wide and her body stiff. He expected surprise, not shock. All of a sudden her eyes narrow and flashed before her body returned to normal; all except her eyes which turn cold and distant. He looked around: Laruda and Soree were staring in awe of his home; Jaken and Rin looked very happy at the site of their home; the wolf gawked openly; Shingo stared at it from his place beside his mother, oblivious to her strange behavior; and Verie stared at Alex with a strange look on her face, the human girl knew what was wrong with her.

Soree's laughter broke through his thoughts. "Think he's trying to compensate for something here?" She spoke in a loud whisper so that all present could here. Laruda, Verie, Rin and Shingo looked confused while Soree and Minh laughed openly and Alex tried to cover her laughter with a cough and Jaken gawked at the suggestion.

"Well that would explain a lot." Alex's voice seemed serious for a second before a strangled laugh escaped her lips.

Jaken was outraged. "I'll have you know that master Sesshomaru-sama is very well endowed!" The shout caused Minh, Laruda, Soree and Alex to burst into uncontrollable laughter; the younger girl finally catching on to the joke as she leaned on Soree for support.

Verie blushed and giggled a little and Alex aloud her laughter to stop only for a second to speak. "Oh, I suppose you would know from experience right?" At her comment the group burst into even harder laughter, and Sesshomaru blushed lightly.

"As a matter of fact, this lowly Jaken has had the pleasure of bathing with the great lord." Jaken shouted out, causing the group of four girls and one boy to explode with laughter as the fell to the ground holding their sides.

Sesshomaru growled his servant was making a fool of him! His eyes began to bleed red as he stared at the demon-ness laughing hysterically then to her group of friends; the children, not understanding what was going, on took to running around in the snow and playing. When his demon side finally emerged he leapt at the laughing yokai.

At the last minute her eyes snapped open and Alex leapt out of the way, a smirk still adorning her lips. "What's the matter, doggy, don't like us laughing at your manhood?" She laughed out as she landed in a crouched position in front of the pissed lord. "Or should I say the lack there of."

"How about I put all questions about that to 'bed 'and prove you wrong." The statement came out in a growl as a smirk formed on his face.

Jaken and Minh gawked at what he was indicating while the other girls laughed harder.

Alex didn't miss a beat. "Sorry I'm not really into spending my nights searching for something that's impossible to find." Now the men out right gawked at her; that was harsh.

Demon Sesshomaru growled and then smirked. "I think I can prove you wrong." With that an all out brawl commenced. Everyone had been so busy watching the fight that they hadn't noticed the children run out of their site.

Verie turned her head from the fighting demons and looked around the area they were in. "Alex! Shingo and Rin are gone!" Her frightened shout brought the two demons out of the fight.

The two looked around the area, disregarding the fact that Sesshomaru had Alex pinned to a tree and noticed that their charges were indeed not in the area. They pulled away from each other and sniffed the air. It turned out that the young ones were not to far away in the forest.

Alex let out a breath and the group headed in that direction slowly; that is until two distinct screams filled the air.

"Mommy!"

"Sesshomaru-sama!"

The Shouts were filled with fear, as the smell of a putrid demon filled the noses of all three demons present, Minh included. Alex and Sesshomaru flew off at great speeds, impossible to follow as soon as they heard the terror filled screams of the two children.

The site that greeted them when they entered the scene was Shingo standing shakily in front of Rin with his little sword drawn and the bear demon laughing at his pathetic attempt at defense. When the two majestic demons appeared behind the bear the children couldn't help but smile and Shingo's shaking stopped.

The demon looked at the children strangely. "Stopped fearing your demise now; have you?" He let out a laugh. "Well I'll change that quickly." He continued to laugh as the two behind him flexed their claws ready to attack.

Minh appeared behind the two kids and the demon let off another laugh. "Is this why you stopped shaking, a half-ling is nothing to me!"

Minh smirked. "I'm only here to get the kids; hate to taint them with the sight of death and all." He picked up the two and turned his back on the yokai. "I'd look behind you if I were you." He laughed and took off as the bear looked over his shoulder.

He let out a strangled gasp at the sight of two powerful and angry demons standing behind him. Before he could even utter an apology two sets of sharp, poisoned claws tore through his body, killing him.

Alex turned to her companion seriously. "Enough playing, we should get to your castle as soon as we can." He only nodded and the two took off to the rest of the group.

Alex picked up Shingo and cuddled him to her as she buried her head in his hair. "Momma's sorry for allowing that to happen to you, angel." Shingo hugged his mother the best of his young abilities. She then turned to Rin and held out one of her arms. The little girl ran into them and hugged the younger boy and women as tightly as her arms would let her.

Sesshomaru watched the scene for a while before he looked to the rest of the group. Verie, Laruda and Soree stood above the three smiling in relief; Jaken stood by his side, looking slightly relieved that the children had not one scratch and Minh stood off behind Alex and Verie with a huge smile on his face. "We should head to the castle now." Alex nodded and released the children. During the hours journey Alex had not left the two youngest' sides for a second, making sure they did not run off again.

Sesshomaru used the time to think about the scene when the two came back to the group, they were like a family: Alex the over protective mother of Rin and Shingo; Verie, Laruda and Soree the loving Aunts; Minh the fun Uncle. Where did her fit in, the father? The friend? He shook his head and noticed that Alex was looking at him strangely before she just shook her head and went back to her conversation with Shingo and Rin. It was strange, she always looked at him like that after he had his random thoughts of himself, her and the kids in a big happy family; almost like she knew what he was thinking. Was it possible? The only demon that he knew of that could do that was a… _Dragon…_ He glanced back at her when he heard her gasp in surprise. He shook his head again, not possible, they were only myths, legends. She sighed and went back to what Rin kept chattering on about, something about flowers and food from what he could hear. The journey went by fairly quickly and they made it to the large castle as night was almost upon them and snow started to fall.

When the group made it to the castle they were greeted by many servants, welcoming 'Lord Sesshomaru-sama', 'Jaken-sama' and 'Lady Rin-chan' home; since they were the first to enter their home. The next to enter shocked the servants' into silence: In came a small five year-old neko hanyou and a beautiful, majestic Demon-ness. The group stared at her, still bowed low as she and the child walked gracefully past them to stand only slightly behind their lord; indicating some sort of relationship with their lord, which they assumed to be romantic, as Shingo took his spot by Rin. She and their lord began to talk quietly amongst themselves where none of the servants could hear. They were so caught up in the thought of their lord finally finding a mate that they didn't notice the others walk into the castle doors. One servant finally got up enough courage to approach the small family and bowed lowly to them.

"I wish to be the first to welcome the new lady of the west and young prince." His voice was full of respect and awe as he looked up at the two; they looked so majestic and elegant, almost like a painting.

Sesshomaru merely stared emotionlessly at the bowing servant unnerving him. When he glanced at his supposed new lady he visibly relaxed as he saw the soft look she was giving him.

"Do we look like a couple to you?" Her voice held amusement.

The servant was a little startled by this. "Y-yes my lady." A laugh sounded from behind the servants and they all looked to see three human girls and a wolf hanyou standing in the hall, the dark one laughing.

Alex smirked. "I'm only with him right now to ask about our rooms;" She laughed out, "we are not mates."

The servants stammered; how could they have been wrong. "I-I'm so sorry, my Lord!" The first spoke again. "We had just assumed…"His voiced trailed off and he rushed back to the line.

Sesshomaru merely stared. He could see how they would assume what they had. Their scents had managed to mingle together during their last fight and they had yet to wash them off; she had walked gracefully to him when they entered the castle and stood beside him talking quietly as if mated while, her son, Shingo stood off with Rin, his charge; and they had not seen the others of their group enter, due to the fact that they went off to the side when they entered instead of coming to stand with Alex and himself. As he was about to dismiss the servants with orders to find the group suitable rooms a shriek sounded trough the entrance hall.

When the group turned around they saw a fox demon-ness glaring at Alex openly; which Alex gladly returned in a colder and darker manor. The girl had thick bouncing orange hair, darker then Laruda's, and dark emerald eyes that openly glared at the beautiful demon-ness that stood so close to the western lord. Sesshomaru saw the girl and let out a small growl. She stalked up to them and grasped the Lords arm.

"Sesshomaru-sama, who is she!" The girl said as she went to push Alex away from the tall demon.

Alex caught her hand and gave a harsh yank, tearing the offending women off of Sesshomaru and onto the floor. "I'm the one that will take your head the next time you raise a hand to me." She said with a dark smirk.

The same servant from before looked down at the girl on the floor and huffed in disgust. "She is our lords soon to be mate, so I would be careful, 'Lady' Kayko." He spat out the lady part while hoping to get away with this small lie in order to get rid of the annoying fox demon-ness

"How dare you talk down to me you lowly demon!" She spat out as she removed herself from the floor and pointed to Alex. "As if my Lord would mate that thing! She even has a hanyou child! He would never lower himself to that!"

Now she had pissed the wrong person off. Alex's eyes flash to silver as she stalked up to the demon-ness that had insulted her son. Kayko failed to notice the livid woman that was making her way across the room to her as she continued her rant.

"She travels willingly with humans and Hanyou! Lord Sesshomaru may have that kept that stupid human girl with him, but only so he could have 'practice'." She shouted in the face of the frightened servant. Thinking she was whom he was afraid of made her smirk and cross her hands over her chest; she failed to notice the enraged couple right behind her.

Now Sesshomaru was pissed, but Alex was, literately, glowing with anger. A black and silver light sprang forth and her black eyes turned completely silver as the women dared to insult Rin and her friends. All of the servants present quickly retreated from where they stood, not wanting to be near the fox when the angered demon-ness wrapped her claws around her smug neck. The smug girl turned around about to give another rant to the neko yokai, but at the sight of her glowing form, Kayko froze in fright; this girl was ready to destroy her.

As Alex leapt at the fox girl Sesshomaru acted and grabbed her right out of the air by the waist; holding the pissed demon-ness tightly to him as she struggled to get to her pray her silver eyes focusing on nothing else.

"What's all this then?" A laughing voice sounded from the door way to the living room. The entire group turned to see a smiling fox demon leaning on the door frame. His hair was bright red and as thick as the girls with the same emerald green eyes laughing at the scene he walked in on.

"Daddy!" The young fox ran to the elder and hid behind him. "Daddy that… that bitch tried to kill me!" She yelled as she pointed to the smirking demon-ness still held in the arms of Sesshomaru. Suddenly a woman slapped the child behind the head and glared at her. "Owe! Mother why did you do that?"

The elder woman glared harder. "If you weren't acting like a bitch in heat towards a mated man then I wouldn't have had to slap you." The mother said and then smiled at the supposed new mistress of the western lands. "I'm Myra and this is my mate Kurama, though Sesshomaru knows us already." She had long light orange-red hair and crystal blue eyes.

Alex smiled and pushed her way out of Sesshomaru's arms and to Myra. "I'm Alex, I'm sure it's a pleasure; these are my friends." The rest of her friends walked forward.

"Hey I'm Verie!" She hopped up beside her best friend. "It's a pleasure."

"I'm Laruda! Your daughters a complete bitch you know that." The red head had a huge smile on her bright face.

"Are you part fox child? Your hair and eyes are just like ours." Myra asked curiously.

Alex stepped in front of young friend, blocking her from view. "No, and I'd appreciate it if you not question any of our ethnicities."

A smiling Soree put her hand on Alex's shoulder. "Yea if I were you I'd think of how to get my spoiled kid back in line, before she turns up dead." She stuck her hand out to the older woman who happily shook it. "Name's Soree."

Kayko now felt really embaraced; these people were talking about her this way in front of Lord Sesshomaru. "Mother how could you! Lord Sesshomaru is right there! Now he'll never mate with me."

Now Sesshomaru was really pissed. He walked up to his supposed future mate, put his arms around her waist and placed a gentle kiss at the base of Alex's neck while she merely smirked, catching on to his plan. "What makes you think this Sesshomaru ever considered you for a mate?" He said as he nuzzled Alex's neck and glared at the gawking Kayko.

Kayko huffed as the rest of the girls and Minh laughed. She stormed out of the room in a giant huff at the site of the romantic and loving couple. As soon as she was out of the room the supposed happy couple separated and looked as if nothing had ever happened between them causing their friends to burst into a fit of laughter knowing the two of them actually fight like 'cats and dogs' on a regular basis and not a loving romantic couple. Suddenly two children burst through the room, the younger boy ran into Alex's arms as the girl went behind her legs giggling as a small fox girl ran in making 'monster' sounds as she chased the other two around.

"Illian, who are your friends, dear?" Myra said as she bent down before her little girl. "Everyone this is my youngest daughter, Illian, we also have a son about 19 some were around here."

Alex smiled and was about to say something when Sesshomaru stepped forward. "Why are you and your family here Lord Kurama, in my home, while I'm not present?"

Kurama smiled. "We had been told that you had begun your journey back from the South about two months ago and had thought you would be present when we arrived, after all we do spend time together during these cold months."

Verie's voice suddenly echoed through the conversation. "Oh my god, what month is it?"

Soree looked thoughtful. "Mid October, I think, so no Christmas yet." She finished with a smile.

Alex laughed and put a hand on Verie's back. "No worries, we have plenty of time."

"What's a Christ mass?" The voice was deep and sound from behind Alex.

She turned around to face a boy only a little shorter then Sesshomaru with mid back length, thick light orange hair tied tightly at the base of his neck and dark blue eyes that danced with an inner fire. Alex smiled a dazzling smile.

"It's a holiday for loved once and friends to exchange gifts and spend time with one another. It happens every 25th of December, and is the most important day to most family's where we come from." Though her smile seemed to be directed towards the man/boy before her, but her friends new it was the memories that made her smile like that.

The other girls face's turned light and happy. It was Laruda that spoke first though. "I remember that first Christmas with-." She cut herself off as Alex's face contorted.

Her eyes flashed as images of a happy little boy filled every ones mind before she blinked and ran off with out a word to any one. Myra was the first to speak. "Such a sad girl… so many secrets she holds onto…" While most were watching were Alex had disappeared, Soree was watching Myra with a curios eye.

"So who are you?" The boy fox smiled at Soree charmingly. "My name is John, I'm the eldest and Prince of the Eastern land." He took Soree's hand in his and bent to place a kiss on it.

Her eyes closed tightly as his lips lowered to her hand. She slowly raised her other hand and brought it to the back oh his head. He crashed to the floor and looked up at the annoyed women that he had tried flirt with.

Soree stormed off after the demon-ness that had run off moments before. Myra glided over to her son as he sat with his head in his hands and staring after the darkened beauty. "I'm in love."

Myra laughed at her eldest and bent down to his level. "My boy you are so much like your father, it is frightening." She laughed and helped him to his feet.

He smiled and looked to the door that Soree had exited. "What can I say, I'm a sucker for a pretty face and a… ahem…" He rubbed the forming bump. "A strong arm."

Most of the people present laughed at this, well except for Sesshomaru and the children, who had begun to play again.

Were Alex had run off to….

Alex had run to some garden in the outside and just let her memories run wild, each painfully happy and bright.

"_Alex! Look a bike!"_

She released a broken smile as the images came again.

"_Oh Alex, Star, Will, Jake; a spa pass. It's just what I wanted."_

She heard the door open and knew it was Soree from her sent, but she did not turn as the memories flashed once again.

"_Will I swear you through one more snow ball, Allie do something!"_

"_Hey Al catch!"_

"_Alex, watch Jake closely please."_

"_Marry Christmas Allie."_

"_I love you more then the whole wide universe, whole wide galaxy put together, Alex."_

A broken sound escaped from her lips as a tear made its way from her eyes. "Soree, these last Christmas's… last three years." She never turned to face her friend. "This time of year is hell… yet I must be happy."

Soree smiled. "I know what you mean, the others, we all feel the same way, but we have a family with each other now… that's why we chose to move to Japan remember."

Alex gave a tear filled smile. "So that Laruda would have a stable home, so Verie would give her innocent smiles, so that we could be happy again." Oh yes she remembered the day that She and Soree had decided to move permanently to Japan with the other two; it was the same night that Verie said that she wanted to visit her cousin. Alex and Verie had been raised in Japan until they were twelve, so they knew the langue and had taught Soree and Verie, so it wasn't a hard transaction.

Now they were in the past and the rest of the group had adjusted rather easily to the new life style of the past; she and Soree were no different. The Darker girl sat beside her friend both had distant and sad looks on their faces.

The two sat in silence for a while just watching the sky as the sun slowly fell across the horizon. Neither noticed as Sesshomaru stood silently at the door watching them with a steady eye.

Myra and Kurama stood not too far behind him; they were discussing the issues with the hanyou Naraku when they spotted the two sad girls sitting on the fountain. Myra gave a motherly smile. "These girls are so sad; and to think such a young, powerful, and beautiful demon-ness so sad and still single, how truly sad." Ok now Kurama was only teasing him.

They stared back at the girls as Alex's head suddenly shot up and a dark glare formed on her face. Not five seconds later Soree's took on the same, albeit slightly less scary, glare as the two stared outside his castle wall. The three spying demons listened as a conversation started between the two.

"It's them." Alex's voice seemed different, almost foreign. It was colder, with no emotions, and an almost ethereal, deep tone. Nothing like her normal light monotone, or soothing, voice was.

"How is that even possible?" Soree's voice was different as well, her normal soft humor filled voice was replaced with a sad, or angry it was hard to tell, deep voice that had an undertone of death in it.

Both girls lifted their hands high in the air, after harsh whispers of a strange langue circled in the wind bright lights, engulfed their hands, Alex in silver and Soree in purple, and extended into weapons. They swung their weapons expertly before jumping onto the wall looking out at the lands.

"We need to find them quickly, they probably already started tracking us here and we don't want the others in danger." Soree said as she looked over the lands.

"They came in numbers; we'll need to be at full strength for this, start powering now, only half." Alex spoke with such authority it even made Sesshomaru want to obey her command, not even knowing what it was.

There were two distinct and sharp flashes, one purple and deep red; the other molten silver and black; when the flash dispersed the two girls looked completely different.

Alex stood tall and proud, her long black hair now flowing to her feet completely silver in color, her once endless black eyes was an empty silver-white. Her outfit was the same, but a pair of giant black, feathered wings stretched from her shoulder blade into the air. Her skin tone was lighter and almost glowing and her long tail was now silver and swaying down the wall she stood on. Her pointed ears were longer and three sharp horns stuck out of her head, the middle being the longest.

Soree stood beside the fierce demonic- goddess looking far darker then before. Her once short hair had extended into long, sharp black spikes that went to her ankles and her brown eyes a glowing light purple. Her once chocolate skin darkened into a black that made the night look like a sunny day and her back held a large pair of deep purple wings, though smaller then her silver companion. She too wore the same outfit she had on; though both she and Alex had shed the warm winter clothes fairly quickly.

The three demons stared in awe; this was not something you saw every day. Two seemingly normal girls, one a demon-ness the other a human, suddenly transform into goddess's before your very eyes and then take off into the cold October night.


	5. Chapter 5

Last Time:

The three demons stared in awe; this was not something you saw every day. Two seemingly normal girls, one a demon-ness the other a human, suddenly transform into goddess's before your very eyes and then take off into the cold October night.

Now:

It wasn't until morning that the two god-like creatures arrived back to the castle of the western lands. Alex immediately called for medical assistance, it had been a hellish battle and Soree was injured horribly. The silver girl laid her friend on the bed as she rushed off to get the healers. It wasn't long before the news of the lovely demon-ness was demanding healers made it to the western lord's ears. This news brought him to the room as fast as he could travel. The room was crowded with servants and Alex's group, he couldn't get through. Kurama and Myra walked up to him. Kurama put a hand on his shoulder.

"It wasn't her that needed it, it was her dark friend." The fox demon said with a sad tone. Sesshomaru gave a nod, though he was quite relived that Alex was not the one injured. He couldn't help but notice that the servants that heard this let out a sigh of relief as well.

Suddenly a burst of energy rushed past all present, sending weaker demons flying back and away from the room. All looked toward the energy source to see Alex, though her looks were far from what anyone had thought. Sesshomaru knew that she had changed herself to only half of what she truly could, but he did not expect this.

There stood a godly apparition: Her hair was flowing with its own force and the deepest silver any of them had ever scene. Her face was one of pure anger, her eyes glowing the same shade as her hair. The black wings were spread out fully taking up nearly the entire large hall. On her fore head rested a glowing light silver eight point star with a small black crescent moon resting in its center. Her long silver tail wrapped down her leg as she glowered at all present. When she spoke her voice pierced the ears and souls of all who heard it.

"How dare you presume that my life is more then hers?" Sesshomaru was the only one who did not back down from the powerful looking demon-ness.

"Your life is far more important to us demons, the life of a human." The women appeared in front of Sesshomaru, her after image still lingering in the same spot. Alex grasped his neck tightly and once again disappearing.

When they flashed back into reality they stood before Soree's bed. Around her stood Verie Laruda, John, Minh, The Healers working hard, and Shingo. Each stood very still and looked like the girl was already dead. Alex released his neck and he stood on his own.

"What is this?" He asked as he went to touch the frozen faces.

"We are standing out side of time right now. This is Soree. She saved my life earlier and you wish her dead."

"How is this possible?"

"I can't do it often, but your words, your servants understand nothing of sorrow yet you are willing to say such reckless words as you just did."

"This Sesshomaru still sees it as the truth."

Alex glared at him; it was the fiercest glare that he had ever witnessed. "This is your answer." Another flash and they stood in the sight of a bloody massacre. "What of them. They are more important."

This was sickening to even Sesshomaru as he stared at the scene, more particular a young teenaged boy trying to shield a young child about Rin's age. Another scene was that of a mother and father lying in front of their young son, the next was a father lying collapsed over his wife and daughter, then came a son lying before his mother and father as if using himself as a shield. The last scene was of a mother and daughter hugging one another on the bloodied grown. He looked over at Alex as she approached the mother/daughter. She reached down and stroked the girl's scorched blond hair.

"This girl was pregnant." She approached the boy protecting his younger brother. "This one just started to get old enough to live and the little one was such a loving kid." She came to the young couple and their son. "The parents loved and nurturing, they turned away no one from their hearts, and the boy was fun loving and smart." She next went to the father daughter mother corpses. "These two were encouraging and kind, she was fun and helpful." The son father and mother came next. "He was happy and always there, they were protective and careful." She looked at Sesshomaru again. "Most were human, demon, did they disserve to face this more then I?"

Sesshomaru was speechless as the scene slowly disappeared and they reappeared in a further location in his castle then they had originally started in. Alex looked around. "I am too weak to control our landing point; at least it was still in the castle." Alex collapsed to the floor before Sesshomaru even knew that she was falling. He rushed to her and noticed a black and silver substance pouring from her arms legs and torso. Abon inspecting the substance her realized that it carried the same scent as her blood had when she was first injured, this was her blood. Sesshomaru quickly picked her up and headed to the closest room her could find, his.

It took an hour but the healers he called finally finished with all of her wounds. They informed their lord that she was far less injured then her friend and she would be fine. Sesshomaru only nodded he stood from his spot and went to enter his room when Verie, a limping (back to normal) Soree and Laruda entered the hall way; in Verie's arms was a scared Shingo. The boy rushed from Verie's arms and into the room he assumed his adopted mother was in.

The site that greeted Sesshomaru when he entered was not what he had expected. There was Alex sitting up with her normal dark hair and eyes and a gentle smile on her pink lips as Shingo expressed his worry for her. Verie and Laruda pushed past as Rin ran up the hall and into the room Minh following closely behind her. Soree waited as everyone else entered the room; when it was just the western lord and herself, she stood up straight and gripped his shoulder.

"We know you saw us." That caught his attention. "The four of us are different, you should know that. We are all tainted and none are human." He tried to move away but she squeezed his shoulder and glared darkly. "Heed this, while Laruda and Verie would not harm you, Alex and I would watch as you suffered before we allowed you death. We do not appreciate you saying one life is worthless." She released his shoulder and walked happily into the room giving a discrete nod to Alex as she did so. Alex took notice and returned the favor as she watched the demon lord stand, shocked in the door way.

It had been a while now since the others had started to live with him and it was now the beginning of November and for some reason the girls were really excited. He watched as the started to plan something for the seventh. He thought about it… that was two days from now. Shingo and Rin came running happily to his side of the table. Sesshomaru stuck a hand out catching the youngster's attention.

"What is your mother talking of?" His focus was still on the women at the end of the table.

"Momma's birthday will be on the seventh and then Auntie Laru's is on the twentieth. They want to have a party." Shingo laughed and then ran off again. Rin followed shortly after giving Sesshomaru a small bow.

"Birthday?" A present was usually given for these events… He watched as the girls headed towards him dragging a blushing Alex behind them.

"Hey we want to throw a party for Alex's birthday!" Laru said happily.

"It's for you to, Laruda!" Alex shout caused the other girl to blush.

"Yea… well… He's more likely to agree with it if it's you." The younger girl shouted back.

Alex let out a growl of frustration. "I don't want this damned party! I hate my birthday! This was supposed to be a combined thing! I'm going to train."

The demon stormed off in a huff, muttering curses in fluent Chinese, English, and Japanese. The others just stared shaking their heads; Alex was never one to do things like celebrate her own birthday, in the past that never bode well.

"She gets so embarrassed when these things come up! You demons and your ego!" Laruda huffed and grabbed Soree's arm. "We're going shopping!" She forced Soree out the door then came back in, grabbed her purse and Minh. "You come to!"

"What, why me?" He tried to protest as she pulled him out the door. "Damn your strong!"

"Shut it! You're carrying the bags!"

"What!" and they were gone.

Verie laughed and turned to the demon lord. "How about we go see Alex?"

He only nodded and followed the scent that Alex left lingering in the halls. When they arrived at the court yard Alex was moving with graceful ease through her movements with a beautiful black crystal sword grasped tightly in her claws. She took only a second to look in their direction before she began to move again; this time her movements became blurs. Sesshomaru decided he had had enough of watching and took out his sword Tōkijin from its sheath and leapt in front of the demon-ness.

Alex stared at the sword, its evil aura radiating brightly before her black eyes. Sesshomaru gave a slight bow and waited for her to ready herself for the fight. Alex took a little longer to look at the evil sword before she too bowed and readied her weapon.

The two charged each other and began a fierce battle. Both tried tirelessly to over power the other and Verie couldn't help but cheer for Alex, though she too stared cautiously at the demon sword that Sesshomaru claimed in his clawed hand. The fight lasted an hour before the two started to tire. They forced each other away and began to charge once again and fight this time Alex noticed a week point in Sesshomaru's guard and took it. Tōkijin flew through the air and, on instinct, she caught it. Suddenly all was silent, Alex had won yes, but the reason was that the sword she now grasped was pulsating with new life as the purple-red aura seeped down the blade to the hilt to the hand of its wielder.

"Alex!" Verie's shout fell on deaf ears. "Drop it! Hurry!" She ran to her best friend as fast as she could.

It was too late the aura touched Alex's hand and then quickly consumed her. An ear piercing scream, like that of a dragon's roar, echoed through the. The occupants of the castle rushed to the scene as fast as they could and the fox demon guests were the first to arrive.

Sesshomaru looked on as his sword engulfed the demon-ness and as her scream flittered through the halls of his home. It took him a minuet to rush into action as he tried to approach her. The aura that Tōkijin was now giving off was stronger then he had ever seen. He tried to fight through the energy as best he could but it was far too strong. He looked over to see Verie trying to get through to her as well, but all was for not as the sword pushed the two away.

Sesshomaru watched as Alex's screams stopped and the aura seeped back into the sword. Her body was floating in the air and her eyes were closed as if in sleep. Around her body violet electricity sparked and quivered as if holding her. On the ground far from her feet sat her black sword, its color dulled once it left its owners hand. Sesshomaru stood and began his approach to the seemingly sleeping girl.

"No!" Verie tackled him to the ground and looked at her best friend. "She'll kill you!" Alex's eyes shot open to reveal a deep purple-red color matching the swords evil aura. "You should not have brought out that sword!"

Alex turned her attention to the two in front of her. With nothing showing on her face she attacked. Sesshomaru quickly pushed Verie out of the way and grasped his Tenseiga. The two swords clashed and sparks flew as two demons faced off. The two once again battled, only while Alex showed no signs of fatigue, Sesshomaru's body still remembered the fight that happened only a short time ago. His body slowly started to give out and he slowed. Alex only focused on killing her pray forced Sesshomaru to the ground and removed his sword from his hand. She looked down at him only for a second before she brought the Tōkijin down on him.

"Momma?" A little voice sounded through all the mist.

The blade hovered above his throat. Sesshomaru took this moment of hesitation and quickly grabbed her wrist and forced her back into a tree.

"You have to get her attention solely on you!" Verie's shout sound loud and clear as an idea filtered through his mind, his demon half already coming through slightly.

Sesshomaru pushed the struggling girl's back harder against the tree and bent his head down, capturing her lips. All was still again and Alex stopped struggling and gave into the heated kiss, dropping the possessed sword from her grip.


End file.
